


Meet Your Match [LevixReader]

by sailormars109



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Engagement, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Lemon, Levi x Reader - Freeform, Lime, Miscarriage, Reader inserts, Smut, XReader, aot x reader, attack on titan x reader, fem! reader, levi ackerman x reader - Freeform, lots of fighting, sasha braus is your bff, shingeki no kyojin x reader, snk, there's a hint at a slight bertholt x reader but i promise you they were just besties in training
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-20
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-02-21 23:32:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 36,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2486285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailormars109/pseuds/sailormars109
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reader-chan is a cadet in the Survey Corps. She faces many struggles throughout her journey as a soldier with her Lance Corporal, Levi Ackerman, being her main distraction. Commander Erwin Smith is an exceptionally large problem in this ordeal. Things change drastically when they learn that the Survey Corps has been infiltrated by Titans. How will Reader-chan deal with all of these obstacles?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_//Song Stamps are going to be italicized and in a pair of “//”//  
//Radioactive by Imagine Dragons starts//_

I was sleeping peacefully, dreaming about him. I never would admit that I liked the guy a lot. By a lot, I mean I would totally love to do a few dirty things with the guy. However, aside from the kinky thoughts, I really wanted to be his lover. To be his forever.  
There was a loud rapping on the door.

_//I’m waking up to ash and dust//_

“Cadet [Last]! Get your lazy ass out of bed!” the small man yelled.

_//I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust//_

“Haven’t you ever fucking heard of five more minutes?” I yelled back. I sat up and took a deep breath.

_//I’m breathing in the chemicals//_

The door slammed open. 

“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” he yelled, completely infuriated.

_//I’m breaking in, shaping up, then checking out of the prison bus//_

“I’m sorry, I thought this was the Survey Corps not Heichou’s babysitting service,” I retorted. 

_//This is it, the apocalypse. Whoa//_

He stormed over to my bed and grabbed a fistful of my [h/c] hair. He got close to my face. Our noses were a mere millimeter away from touching. I looked into his stormy grey eyes.

“Heichou, don’t you think this is a little close?” I asked, moving so our noses touched.

_//I’m waking up. I feel it in my bones, to make my systems blow//_

He released my hair, looking away as if he was pondering something. “You are going to eat breakfast in my office, brat.”

_//Welcome to the new age, to the new age//_

“Yes, Heichou.”

_//Welcome to the new age, to the new age//_

He stomped out of my room, leaving the door wide open.

“Geez, you were rude enough to enter without permission and now you leave the door wide open? Where are your manners Corporal Jackass?” I half-heartedly shouted.

_//Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh, Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive. Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh, Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive.//_

I stood up and walked across the small dorm to my dresser. I pulled open the drawer. 

“What the hell crawled in his pants and bit him on the unmentionables? Damn,” Sasha’s voice echoed throughout the room. I looked up and there she stood in my doorway.

_//I raise my flag, don my clothes//_

“Well, I kind of mouthed off to him, but with a good purpose,” I responded, seeing Sasha’s eyes widen as I spoke.

_//It’s a revolution I suppose//_

“Do you have a death wish?!” Sasha exclaimed, “Nobody mouths off to Heichou and gets away with it!”

I shrugged. “He must be trying to freak me out; he only told me that I was eating breakfast with him.”

_//We paint it red to fit right in, Woah//_

I picked up my uniform and entered the small bathroom in my room.

“It was nice knowing you, [Name]. I’m starving. I’m heading off to the mess hall. I’ll inform the others that you are going to die a long, painful death today,” Sasha said, leaving my room and closing the door.

_//I’m breaking in, shaping up, then checking out of the prison bus. This is it, the apocalypse. Woah//_

I pulled my clothing on and gave myself a once over in the mirror. I brushed my hair and put a ponytail holder on my wrist. 

_//I’m waking up. I feel it in my bones to make my systems blow//_

After attending to my teeth, I left my room and began to make my way down to the mess hall to grab my food.

_//Welcome to the new age, to the new age. Welcome to the new age, to the new age. Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh, Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive//_

I entered the hall in the back and was greeted by the cooks.

“One to go again, [Name]?” A large man asked me.

_//Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh, Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive//_

“You bet, Greg,” I smirked.

He chuckled and handed me my plate and some tea. I left and began heading toward the Corporal’s office.

_//All systems go, the sun hasn't died. Deep in my bones, straight from inside. I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones. Enough to make my systems blow. Welcome to the new age, to the new age. Welcome to the new age, to the new age. Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive. Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive//_

I stopped in front of the Corporal’s door. I raised my fist and pounded the door as hard as I could.

“The sun hasn’t even fucking rose and I have to stuff my face~!” I sang.

_**Author's Note: I do not own "Radioactive".** _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader-chan and Levi end up cornered in a closet. Contains some sexual content.

I heard him get out of his chair and storm over to the door. He opened it and I gave him my most devious smile.

“How do you like having your door beaten obnoxiously when the sun hasn’t even risen yet? It’s not very pleasant,” I scoffed.

He grabbed me by the collar and pulled me into his office, slamming the door behind us. He pushed me toward his desk. I tripped and fell, my food and tea going everywhere. 

“Oh now look what you did!” I yelled, standing up, covered in food and tea.

“Tch. You’re the dumbass that fell,” he responded coldly.

“I just bleached this shirt! It took forever to get the grass stains out of it from training and now it’s stained and dirty all over again!” I complained. 

He walked around to his chair and sat down, staring at me with his cold eyes.

“You can’t possibly walk out of here looking like you’ve been lost in the trash for a week,” he stated.

“Oh is that how you get your girlfriends? You insult them?” I interrogated, raising my eyebrow.

“My love life has nothing to do with you, Cadet. You would do well to forget about it,” he said, coldly. “You will just have to borrow some of my clothes for now. Follow me.” With that, he stood up and strode toward his room.

I followed him into the large, beautiful bedroom connected to his office. There was a large bed in it with a beautiful oak frame and red silk sheets on the mattress. 

He turned the corner and we entered a nice walk-in closet. His shirts were all hanging perfectly with a cravat and a jacket. He turned to me, and gave me a smirk.

“Take your clothes off. Now.”

“Excuse me? I’m not going to strip in front of you!” I said as my cheeks heated up. Truth be told, I did want to strip in front of him. I wanted to take all my clothes off and slowly strip him of his and…

“Oi! Are you even listening to me? I gave you an order. You have no choice. Do as I say!” he commanded, looking irritated.

I nodded and shrugged off my jacket. I then began undoing my harness straps. I glanced up from my focus to see him staring at me. Taking advantage of this, I looked up at him and slowly began unbuttoning my shirt. He began shifting uncomfortably, but his eyes remained on my hands. I smirked and took my shirt off. My pants had also gotten stained, so I took those off as well.

There I was, standing in nothing but my bra and underwear in Lance Corporal Levi’s closet and he couldn’t stop staring at me.

“Do you like what you see?” I smiled, doing a twist so he could see the rest of my body.

“Beyond what you could imagine,” he mumbled.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” I grinned, seeing the restraint he struggled against.

He coughed and collected himself back to his usual bored expression. “Quit playing games with me, you little shit.”

“I may be a little shit, but your pants are saying that you think something else about me.”

It was true. He was getting aroused just seeing me half-naked. 

“You don’t say anything about this to anyone or else I will make sure your life is hell,” he threatened.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” I disregarded, waving my hand.

He moved closer to me until we were almost touching. He looked down into my [e/c] eyes as I looked up into his grey ones. It was what happened next that defied everything he made me think he was. He cupped my face in his hands and pulled me into a passionate kiss. 

I couldn’t believe it at first. I thought I was just having another one of my dreams where we ended up together. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He pushed his tongue into my mouth and our tongues wrestled for dominance. 

We were both so focused on the kiss that we didn’t even realize he was already half undressed until that woman that I love to death but wish she would quit being so nosy interrupted.

“Hey Shorty! I have some paperwork that Erwin wants you to fill out! Where are you? Are you in your room slacking off?” Hanji yelled obliviously, walking into Levi’s room.  
Levi quickly released from me and shoved the door to his closet closed. 

“Do you not know what privacy is, Shitty Glasses?” he barked.

“Oh are you hiding in your closet from me, Levi?” Hanji asked, shuffling toward the closet.

“Shit, she’s going to see us and then we’re going to be completely screwed!” I panicked.

“It’s time to come out of the closet, Levi~!” Hanji sang, placing her hand on the door knob.

In one swift motion, he shoved me into a corner and threw a bunch of clothes over me. 

“Stay quiet, brat,” he ordered as Hanji burst into the closet.

“Oh Levi, I didn’t know you were changing!” she said, completely oblivious to the bulge in his pants, “Get dressed and come out of the closet. Erwin wants you to do something for him.”

“If she means me, he was getting ready to dumbass,” I muttered. Levi kicked me to shut me up.

Once Hanji left, giggling like a giddy school girl, Levi pulled me up to my feet through the clothes. 

“What do you not understand about being quiet?” he questioned, giving me a cold look.

“The part where Hanji was oblivious to you needing help in your pants,” I smiled, poking his abdomen.


	3. Chapter 3

“Look brat, you are responsible for this. However, I’m not going to give you the pleasure of taking care of it,” he admitted, which got a pout from me.

“You really are an evil little man, aren’t you?” I pouted, turning away from him.

“Little? Are you forgetting who the taller person is?” he snarled, grabbing my arm and yanking me toward him.

“There’s a first time for everything,” I grinned.

He shoved me away. “Get dressed brat and go eat something. I can’t have you passing out during training. I need to take a shower.”

“Take a shower or solve your problem?” I laughed as I put my clothes on. 

He flicked my forehead and strode into his en suite bathroom. 

I finished getting dressed and exited his room yelling, “Have fun on your hot date with a bar of soap!”

*time skip to training in the afternoon*

We had gathered in the yard for combat training. Usually one of the squad leaders leads training, but this time we were in for a surprise.

“Oi! Listen up brats! Today you are going to have a special training in combat, so pay attention,” the corporal himself yelled. 

I scoffed. “You’re going to teach us how to fight? How do we know you know how to fight? Yes we’ve all seen you kill Titans, but we have never seen you fight with a person.” This started a frenzy of whispers amongst the cadets.

_//You’re Gonna Go Far Kid by the Offspring starts//_

“Tch. Since you think you’re so good, why don’t you come up here and give a demonstration of your skills, Cadet [Last],” Levi snarled.

_//Show me how to lie, you’re getting better all the time and turning all against one it’s an art that’s hard to teach//_

Sasha, who was cowering next to me, tugged on my sleeve. “[Name], please don’t do this.”

_//Another clever word sets off an unsuspecting herd//_

“Sasha, relax. I got this covered,” I reassured, pulling her hand off my sleeve.

_//And as you step back into line a mob jumps to their feet//_

I stepped forward, looking Levi in the eye. “I’m sorry….”

“Tch, don’t back down now little whimp,” he interrupted.

_//Now dance fucker dance. Man he never had a chance//_

“I wasn’t finished. I was going to say that I’m sorry you’re about to get your ass beat by someone who is shorter than you,” I grinned, deviously.

_//And no one even knew it was really only you//_

Levi gave me a once over and then glared at me. “Ladies first.”

_//And now you steal away, take him out today//_

“But Heichou, you are my superior. Why don’t you show the class how to make a starting attack?” I questioned, acting innocent.

_//Nice work you did. You’re gonna go far kid//_

He clicked his tongue and lunged. I quickly dodged and grabbed his fist.

_//With a thousand lies and a good disguise//_

While he was slightly caught off guard by how fast I grabbed his fist, I landed a kick to his side.

_//Hit ‘em right between the eyes. Hit ‘em right between the eyes//_

Falling ever so slightly, he took the advantage to try and kick my legs out from under me. I jumped over his leg and did a side roll out of the way.

_//When you walk away, nothing more to say, see the lightning in your eyes//_

I stood up and slowly walked toward him, my arms raised for defense.

_//See ‘em running for their lives//_

He gave me a look that said “try me again” and nodded his head. I made a flinch like I was going to punch him, to which he tried to grab my fist, and made a low kick to knock him down.

_//Slowly out of line and drifting closer to your sights//_

He stumbled again but took the advantage to shift his weight so he fell on top of me, grabbing both my arms and pinning me down.

_//So play it out I’m wide awake; it’s a scene about me//_

Out of range to everyone but him and myself he whispered, “You may think you’re tough, but there is a reason why I’m captain.”

_//There’s something in your way and now someone is gonna pay//_

“You may be captain, but it isn’t for your fighting ability,” I replied with a glint in my eye.

_//And if you can’t get what you want, well it’s all because of me//_

I thrust my head upward to head butt him, then kicked my legs up to make him roll forward off of me.

_//Now dance fucker dance. Man, I never had a chance. And no one even knew it was really only you//_

I jumped up at the same time he did. He lunged again, only for me to side step and then fall on his back.

_//And now you’ll lead the way, show the light of day//_

“How does it feel to get beat by a mere cadet, _Heichou?_ ” I purred into his ear.

_//Nice work you did. You’re gonna go far kid//_

He rolled over so he was laying on top of my and quickly jumped up. He went to put his foot down on my chest as if to claim victory, when I rolled and spun to sweep his legs out from under him.

_//Trust, deceived//_

This time, he fell to the ground, hard. Several of the cadets gasped and exclaimed “Heichou!” but I knew that he was just fine.

_//With a thousand lies and a good disguise, hit ‘em right between the eyes. Hit ‘em right between the eyes//_

I got up as he did again. This time, the look in his grey eyes meant this was war. 

_//When you walk away, nothing more to say, see the lightning in your eyes, see ‘em running for their lives//_

We circled around the area, waiting for the other to make a move.

_//Guitar solo//_

I stopped and stood with my guard up. He stared at me confused for a second.

_//Now dance fucker dance, he never had a chance//_

I jumped up and spun, kicking his face. Once I landed, I shoved him down to the ground, earning another gasp from the cadets. This time they started whispering amongst each other.

_//And no one even knew it was really only you//_

“Have you had enough yet, _Heichou?_ ” I asked, placing my foot on his back. 

_//So dance fucker dance. I never had a chance. It was really only you//_

I heard someone whisper, “What is he holding back for?” Another said, “Is he going easy because he’s fighting a girl?”

_//With a thousand lies and a good disguise, hit ‘em right between the eyes. Hit ‘em right between the eyes//_

“I. Will not. Quit,” he snarled, sitting up and throwing me backward.

_//When you walk away, nothing more to say, see the lightning in your eyes. See ‘em running for their lives//_

He quickly resumed his former position on top of me, looking into my [e/c] eyes.

_//Clear alibies. Lord of the flies. Hit ‘em right between the eyes. Hit ‘em right between the eyes//_

I decided that this fight was going nowhere as we seemed to be equally matched, but I had one more trick up my sleeve.

I quickly thrust my knee up in between his legs, hitting his butt rather than where I wanted. His eyes widened and instantly became glazed over in pure anger.

_//When you walk away, nothing more to say//_

He picked me up, slung me over his shoulder, and began marching toward the castle.

_//See the lightning in your eyes, see ‘em running for their lives//_

“Class is dismissed!” he bellowed.

I struggled for a few minutes as I saw my fellow cadets stare horrified. A few of them waved, some of them were still trying to process what happened. I saw Jean mutter to Reiner, “Welp, she’s screwed.”

Sasha on the other hand screamed, “[Name]! You’re too young to die!”

_**Author's Note: I do not own "You're Gonna Go Far Kid".** _


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Very sexual content. Read at your own discretion.

Levi carried me down the hallway. From what it seemed like, we were headed to his office.

“I’ve had it with your shit, brat. It’s time I showed you some real punishment,” he growled.

“I’m so scared. Heichou is going to punish me,” I sarcastically spoke.

He slapped my butt. “Ow! What the hell was that for?” I yelled.

“You need to learn some respect, Cadet.”

He yanked the door to his office open and kicked it shut with his foot. He turned to lock his door. He then moved to his desk and wiped everything off of it in one sweep of his arm. He put me on my feet and turned me so my back was to him. He then pulled me so my back was pressed against his front.

“From now, you’re going to call me ‘Corporal’ unless I tell you otherwise,” he whispered in my ear, sending chills down my spine. He then pushed me over onto his desk. He pressed himself against me and I felt a little lump.

“And what do you think you’re getting at this way, Corporal?” I asked, looking over my shoulder.

He slapped my butt again. “I’m getting sweet revenge my dear, dear Cadet [F/N],” he replied, slapping my butt again.

He pulled me up and faced me toward him. 

“Harness off. Now,” he commanded.

I undid my harness as he watched my every move.

Once my harness was off, he turned me back around, pushed me down so I was bent over his desk, and grabbed the waist of my pants, yanking them down along with my underwear.

“Corporal, what are you doing?” I demanded, trying to squirm out of his hold.

He slapped my butt, hard. “I’m teaching you a lesson, brat,” he answered, slapping me again. I have to admit, it stung.

I yelped with pain at each slap. I could feel my butt getting red from each hit.

“Awww. Is the tough, little cadet weakened by a little spanking?” he mocked, giving a fake pout. This absolutely infuriated me.

“I can’t let him win. He will not get away with making me look like a wimp. I need to suck up the pain and make him think that I like this,” I thought to myself.

He slapped my butt again. I moaned with a hint of pleasure. He paused for a second and hit my butt harder. I moaned louder with more pleasure.

“Oh, so you like your punishment? You are a dirty brat, aren’t you, [F/N]?” he mused.

“I can’t help it. I’ve dreamt of having you dominate me for a while now,” I purred, turning to look at him.

His eyes had been glazed over with lust. He wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me up bridal style.

I wrapped my arms around his neck for security as he carried me into his room. He lay me down on his red, silk sheets and crawled on top of me. He devoured my lips with his hungry ones as he ripped my shirt open, sending the buttons flying in different directions. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer toward me. He pressed his body against mine as he pulled off my bra. His lump had grown a lot bigger. 

He took my breasts in his hands as he trailed down my neck with his lips, earning a soft moan from me. I felt him smile against my skin at my moan. He sucked and nipped at my neck, leaving little marks all over.

“You’re mine now and everyone will know it,” he whispered in my ear, which earned another moan from me.

He again presses his lips to mine, sliding his hands up to my head and holding it as I run my fingers through his raven locks. He slipped his tongue past my lips into my mouth.   
Out of breath and beginning to get very hot, he broke the kiss, sitting up on his knees, leaving a trail of saliva connecting our mouths. I sat up and pulled my boots and pants completely off. I was completely naked and he was fully clothed. This had to change immediately.

I sat up on my knees and began kissing his neck, resting my hands on his toned chest. His breathing got heavier as I sucked and nipped at all the spots he did me. 

“You didn’t think you would possibly get away with me being claimed and you not?” I whispered in his ear, giving his lobe a bite.

He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and pulled me into his body, kissing me passionately. I began to unbutton his shirt until it was completely unbuttoned and ran my hands up his muscular body to tug off his cravat. 

I pulled his shirt off as he again slid his tongue into my mouth again, playing with mine. I unbuttoned his pants tugging at them to come off. He pulled away from me and gave me a wicked grin.

“Getting excited, are we [F/N]?” he asked, pushing me over.

“Very excited,” I giggled as he pulled his pants off, revealing the large lump that had been pressed against me.

He bent over me, taking both of my breasts in his hands, massaging them and licking my nipples. He then took the right one and gently bit down on it while he sucked earning a loud moan from me.

“Oh, Levi~” I moaned, grasping his hair and tugging on it.

His lips trailed down my body, stopping between my thighs.

“Oh, you seem rather ready for me. In that case, let’s just see how ready you really are,” he observed. He crawled back on top of me, pressed his lips to mine, and in one hard thrust, he buried himself inside of me.

“Levi!” I yelped, with the sudden fullness inside of me.

A low growl came from his throat as he pulled his length out and thrust it back in.

“Mmm, [F/N], you’re so tight,” he moaned, thrusting into me harder.

He quickly picked up his pace, slamming into me harder and harder with each thrust. Soon, all there could be heard was the bed rocking and our skin slapping together as we moved together as one. I felt pleasure building up inside of me as my vision blurred and all I could feel was him attached to me, making me feel like I was floating in a cloud of pleasure.

“Levi, I’m so close!”

“Oh really?” he mused, pulling out of me.

“What are you doing? Please make me go! I want to go all over you!” I whimpered, moving my hands down my body in an attempt to pleasure myself.

He grabbed my hands with one of his and held them.

“This is supposed to be your punishment after all, Cadet,” he teased, kissing my thighs. He then lightly licked my clit, making me moan loudly. He slid two of his fingers inside of me and began pumping them in and out. I moaned, arching my back in pleasure. 

“Oh Levi, please~” I moaned as he curled his fingers upward as he thrust them in deeper and faster, flicking his tongue along my clit.

“Please what?” he questioned, replacing his fingers with his tongue.

“Please keep going!” I yelled as I released all over his tongue, my body pulsing from the orgasm.

He let go of my hands and pulled me into a deep kiss, more passionate and romantic than full of lust. He slid his large, erect member inside of me, starting slowly this time. 

“Mmm, Levi,” I moaned into the kiss, as our bodies pressed together.

He held me in his arms as we slowly sped our pace up, both of us moaning each other’s name. It wasn’t long until we were at our earlier pace, moaning and looking into each other’s eyes as our bodies molded into one. I was getting close to my second orgasm again, as he was getting close to his first.

“L-Levi, I’m getting close,” I mewled. He nodded and picked up his pace, slamming into me harder than before, eager for me to release again.

With three, hard, deep thrusts, we both released, collapsing into each other, panting heavily. He rolled off of me, and pulled me into his arms, softly kissing my forehead.

“I have something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time now, [F/N],” he said in between breaths. 

“What is it, Levi?” I pondered, curling up in his strong arms.

“I love you. I’ve loved you since I first met you. Every time you disobeyed me or mouthed off to me, my love for you grew stronger because you weren’t afraid of me. You saw me like I was on the same level as you. You saw me as an equal person. No one has done that for me before and it made me fall deeply in love with you,” he explained, holding me closer, kissing the top of my head.

“Oh Levi, I love you too. I purposefully got under your skin because I wanted to be close to you. I wanted to get to know the person that everyone is scared of. I wanted to know the person everyone thought so highly of. I wanted to make you tick so you would crave me. So you would remember me if I was killed on an expedition,” I choked, looking into his eyes with my tear-filled, [e/c] eyes.

“I would never be able to live with myself if you were killed on an expedition. I would go mad without you. Since you’ve came into my life, I can’t picture ever being without you there anymore,” he stated, wiping the tears from my eyes.

“Oh Levi, I love you so much,” I declared, burying my face in his bare chest.

“I love you too, [F/N]. I would fight a thousand Titans if I had to, just so I could be with you,” he admitted, stroking my [h/c] hair.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Possible Trigger Warning. Contains a little gore.

When I regained my consciousness the next morning, I continued laying where I was with my eyes closed. While I may have been conscious, I definitely wasn’t aware of my surroundings until I realized there were arms wrapped around my body, I was hearing some deep breathing, my legs were tangled with somebody else’s, and whoever the hell it was had some major muscles going on. I continued to lay there with my eyes squeezed shut, afraid of what I would see when I opened them. 

“Oh my goodness, I’m naked,” I thought aloud, realizing that I and whoever I was with were completely naked.

I then opened my eyes to see Levi’s slumbering face right next to mine. While his face was extremely peaceful (and adorable), waking up with someone’s face mere centimeters away from yours is enough to give anyone a heart attack. I jumped a little when I opened my eyes and his face formed into a frown and then a cute pout. 

I froze, afraid I had woke him up, and when his face relaxed again, I laid my head down on his chest, relaxing.

“I see somebody is surprised to wake up in bed with their Lance Corporal,” Levi spoke, breaking the silence.

I shot straight up and fell off the bed. He looked down at me, laughing.

“Damn Levi! Are you trying to make me shit myself?” I asked, crawling back under the covers and curling up in his arms.

He chuckled and looked into my [e/c] eyes with a sparkle in his grey ones. 

“Good morning, my love. Did you sleep well?” he questioned, giving me a soft kiss on the lips.

“It was the best I have ever slept in my life,” I smiled. 

“Oh? Why is that?” he inquired, kissing my forehead.

“I was with you,” I blushed, burying my face in his chest.

He lifted my chin with his finger and pulled me into a passionate kiss. I ran my hand up his chest and rested it on his jawline. He pulled me completely on top of him, deepening our kiss. His hands, roamed my back as he slid his tongue inside my mouth. 

*time skip because writer doesn’t want to write another lemon right now*

Sasha was walking down the hallways, looking for [F/N]. She hadn’t seen her since the mean, little Corporal had carried her away from class yesterday. No one had seen either of them actually. Sasha was deep in thought as she explored the old hallways of the castle when someone tapped her shoulder.

“Cadet Braus, what are you doing? You should be outside with all the other cadets, enjoying your day off!” Hanji observed.

“Squad Leader Hanji!” Sasha saluted. “I was looking for [F/N]. No one has seen her or Captain Levi since he carried her away from class yesterday. I’m worried about her. It’s not like her to be gone this long because of Heichou.”

“Oh shorty carried her away?” Hanji questioned, raising her eyebrow.

“Yes, ma’am. She challenged him to a fight as a demonstration for combat and she kneed him. The other cadets and I that were in class think she may have hit his… well… ya know…. His umm…. “Boys”,” Sasha stuttered, blushing and making air quotes with her fingers. 

Hanji’s lips curled into a grin as she burst out laughing. “[F/N] did that? She avenged all the cadets that shrimp has humiliated! I wish I could have been there to see it. Ol’ Levi must’ve been absolutely pissed that HE was humiliated by a cadet!” Hanji exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes from laughing. 

Sasha relaxed. “Umm, Squad Leader Hanji? Have you by any chance seen [F/N] or Heichou?” she sheepishly questioned. 

Hanji calmed down, wiping the tears from her eyes. “No, I haven’t Sasha. Erwin has been needing to talk to The Wee One all day too. I wonder if he’s in his office,” Hanji answered, staring off blankly, thinking. 

“Should we go see?” Sasha wondered, tipping her head to the side.

“THAT’S A LOVELY IDEA!” Hanji beamed, grabbing Sasha’s arm and dragging her in the direction of Levi’s office.

*meanwhile*

Levi and I were lying in the plush bed, in each other’s arms, still breathing heavily from the morning sex. Who would have thought the Corporal that always seemed so emotionless was actually a very deep and emotional guy? 

We were beginning to fall back asleep when we heard a banging coming from Levi’s office door.

“HEY SHORTY!!! WAKEY WAKEY TITANS AND BACEY!” Hanji yelled at the top of her lungs. 

Levi groaned as we untangled ourselves from each other. He put on his boxers and a robe as I merged into the bathroom adjacent to his room to hide. I decided I might as well shower while I’m waiting, so I turned on the water in his stone shower.

As I stepped in the wet basin, I heard a door slam. “Oi Pee Wee! People have been looking for you and [F/N]! Where in the name of the Colossal Titan have you two been?” Hanji prodded.

“Tch. That is none of your business. As for Cadet [F/N], I made her spend the night in my office after polishing the wood and waxing the floor in my bathroom,” Levi answered in his usual annoyed voice. 

“Where is she now?” a new voice piped up.

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that Cadet Braus?” Levi requested, sounding more like his Heichou-self.

“W-Where is [F/N] now, sir?” Sasha stuttered.

“Poor Sasha. Levi scares her to death and now Hanji has gone and brought her into Levi’s office,” I thought aloud as I scrubbed my dirty body. 

“I hear water running, so she must be taking a shower right now, Cadet,” he responded.

“But what are you going to do with her now, Captain Short Pants?” Hanji poked.

“I’m going to keep her with me. She’s pushed the last button and now she has dug herself into a serious punishment,” Levi clarified.

I ran my fingers through my [h/l] [h/c] hair as I rinsed out the shampoo. “So Levi is going to keep me with him as a punishment.” I stated, “Well, if the punishment continues to go anything like it did last night, this might be fun.”

“Awww, does the poor, little Corporal not like having his ‘family jewels’ messed with?” Hanji mocked.

“’Family jewels’?” I pondered aloud. “Oh, they must think that I actually hit his pride and joy when I kneed him yesterday!” I realized as I stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my wet body.

“You leave my testicles out of this, Shitty Glasses,” Levi snapped.

“Oh you’re no fun, Captain Oompa loompa,” Hanji pouted.

“Now take Cadet Braus with you and go bother Erwin!” Levi ordered. I heard a door slam and then footsteps. The bathroom door opened and then entered a mildly annoyed Levi.

“That shitty, googly-eyed, Titan lover is so annoying,” Levi sighed. 

“Aww, come on Levi. You know you would be lost without Hanji,” I indicated, wrapping my arms around him.

“That may be so, but there aren’t any words to describe how lost I would be without you,” he smiled softly, looking down into my eyes.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that now do you?” I smiled back, standing on my tip toes, giving him a sweet kiss. 

“Nothing will happen to you as long as you are with me,” Levi assured after our kiss.

*time skip ahead a week*

It was official. I was living in Levi’s quarters for now as a “punishment” for my behavior. Sasha was sad to see me move out of my room and wished me luck living with Heichou. What she doesn’t know is that I love living with Levi. He brings me breakfast in bed. He always wakes me up and sends me to sleep with a kiss. Every night, he holds me in his arms as I curl up in a ball to keep warm. Yes, living with Levi is like a dream come true. 

Unfortunately, we had to keep it all to ourselves. I wanted to tell Sasha so bad every time she would ask me how I was doing with a worried look on her face. Besides Levi and I secretly being in a relationship, nothing had changed. I still mouthed off to him as usual and would send a wink or a seductive lick of my lips his way when no one was looking. Of course, being a tease came back and bit me in the butt (literally a couple of times) when it came to being done with activities for the day. Of course, Levi still had something planned as a punishment for me each time we would walk into his office for the night.

The past week of adjusting to being with Levi, living with him, and having a lot of sex (not that I’m complaining about that) had been quite the change for me. But, this being my life, a string of bad luck happened to be sewn in. I ended up getting very sick. I was weak. I couldn't hold any of my food down. I was absolutely miserable. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you today?” Levi questioned, very concerned.

“No, Levi. You have enough things to worry about. Go have fun chewing some cadet’s head off and making them forever afraid of pip squeaks. I will be fine,” I reassured, waving my hand in a dismissive manner. 

“Even when you’re sick, you still manage to be a bitch. Incredible,” he observed, dryly.

“You do love this bitch, so you got yourself into this. Now go avenge all the small people those tall turds have terrorized!” I exclaimed, sending him off to his duties.

After he kissed me and left the room, I laid back down in his bed and curled up under the fluffy bedding, falling asleep.

_I was in a deep, thick forest. I had no clue where I was or how to get out. I was standing in the branch of a tall tree, pressed up against the bark. I turned my head to the left to see my worst nightmares coming true._

_Levi was zipping around a muscular looking Titan, unable to damage it enough. Every time he would go in for the kill, the Titan would turn and swat at him as if he was a mere fly._

_I looked around to further gather my surroundings and who else was near. My eyes widen, my heartbeat dramatically increased along with my breathing as I saw the horrors of this foreign area. On the ground lay an injured Eren, who was missing an arm. Armin, who appeared to have taken a pretty bad blow to the head._

_As I surveyed more, I felt like I was going to get sick. Plastered to a tree branch in blood was Hanji. She wasn’t moving. All the thoughts of her pestering me with random trivia questions about Titans came flooding to my mind. Beside her was Mikasa, who was slumped up against the side of the tree with a huge gash across her chest._

_My worst move was looking below the branch I was stationed on. There lay the once cheerful and spontaneous Sasha, missing both of her legs, surrounded by a pool of blood._

_I couldn’t believe my eyes. My best friends had died. All of them. I fell to my knees, raising my palms to my face as the tears flooded from my eyes. What was going to happen now? We were trapped and now it was just Levi and I to find our way out and back to the rest of the group._

_A sudden crash broke my thoughts. I looked up to see Levi zipping away from the Titan. He was slowing down though. I was wondering why when I saw his lips form curses. He was running out of gas quickly and there was nowhere to find gas except with the rest of the group that we were clueless to their whereabouts._

_He looked up toward the branch I was located. “[F/N]! You have to get out of here and find the others! You have to make it back alive!” he yelled._

_Tears formed in my eyes at what he was saying. “No! I’m not leaving without you Levi! I can’t leave without you! I can’t make it without you!” I screamed back._

_He smiled sadly. “I’m sorry, [F/N]. I can’t make it back.”_

_The Titan then grabbed him out of mid-air._

_“I love you, [F/N].” he said as the Titan began to move him toward its mouth._

_“No!” I screamed as I dove down after Levi and entered the Titan’s mouth along with him._

I shot straight up in a cold sweat. I immediately crawled out of the bed and ran into the bathroom. I assumed the hunched position over the toilet and deposited an uncomfortable load of stomach acid.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: contains very emotional events. 
> 
> I recommend reading this while listening to "21 Guns" by Green Day.

“[F/N]! Get off the floor!” Levi exclaimed when he came to check on me. I woke up feeling extremely weak and cold. I tried to sit up, but failed to do so. Levi caught me as I fell so I wouldn’t hit my head on the floor. 

“Where am I?” I asked weakly.

“You’re on the floor next to the toilet. Which is extremely unsanitary by the way,” Levi answered, getting ‘the look’ from me. 

“Here I am, extremely weak and sick and you have the nerve to comment on where I was passed out. How lovely,” I chided. 

He gave me an apologetic smile. “Sorry. It’s a force of habit.”

“Anyway, will you please carry me back to bed and cuddle me? It’s so lonely without you…. And cold,” I requested, giving Levi a sad face. 

“Anything for you, my love,” Levi replied, picking me up. I immediately got very dizzy and had Levi hurry to the bed which was only a few feet away. 

“Your face is all red [F/N]!” Levi observed, placing the back of his hand to my forehead. 

“You’re burning up!”

“Oh well isn’t that just freakin’ peachy?” I spoke, annoyed. 

“You need medicine. Let me go get Hanji,” Levi stated.

“You just called her Hanji for the first time. Wow. You must really be concerned,” I noticed.

“Oh well excuse me. I will go get Shitty Glasses. Is that any better?” he retorted. 

I snorted as he walked out of the room to go retrieve the scientist. Once his presence was gone, I fell back onto the pillows and breathed deeply.

“I wonder what’s wrong with me. I’ve never been this sick in my life. Why would I be this sick at random?” I thought aloud. 

I then had a sharp pain hit my lower abdomen which caused me to hunch over in pain. The pain was so strong I felt tears forming in my eyes as I heard Levi and Hanji’s footsteps enter his office. 

“Well geez, Shorty. If it kind of happened that quickly, it could only really be one thing which means something has been going on that she’s been hiding, no you both have been hiding since you’re the only one she’s been with for the last two weeks!” Hanji’s voice evaluated.

“What are you implying, Glass Face?” Levi’s voice snarled.

“I mean, you two have been having sex!” Hanji exclaimed. “Which would, by the way, explain all the banging against the wall I’ve been hearing at night,” she added.

“Wow, for a woman that has her head in the Titans, she’s smart,” I supposed.

Hanji yanked open the bedroom door with Levi peering in behind her.

“Oh [F/N]! What’s going on?” Hanji questioned, seeing my bent over form.

Levi rushed over to me, shoving Hanji into the door, and held me.

“What’s wrong, my sweet? What ails you?” Levi whispered to me.

“What are we? A cheesy Shakespeare novel?” I croaked, slightly smiling as the pain broadened.

Levi gave me a worried smile as Hanji made her way over to us. 

“Ah, I see my suspicion was correct. You two have been together. I can see it in the way Ol’ Short Stuff is looking at you, [F/N],” Hanji identified, peering over Levi’s shoulder at me. “Alright Captain Shorty, I need you to move so I can examine her.”

Levi grunted in disapproval and reluctantly let go of me. 

Hanji pulled the covers off of me revealing a pool of blood staining Levi’s clean sheets.

“Oh my! This may be worse than I thought!” Hanji exclaimed, moving closer to examine the blood.

Levi sat motionless, staring at the blood, horrified.

I noticed Levi’s face and felt bad. “Sorry about your sheets Captain clean.” 

He smiled sadly, showing his concern about me more than the ruined sheets.

“[F/N], I need you to go into the bathroom, sit down on the toilet and push like you’re giving birth,” Hanji ordered.

“Why does she need to do that? She’s not pregnant,” Levi blandly stated. 

Hanji gave him a sad look and his facial expression changed. While I was in too much pain to fully comprehend what was going on, they helped me into the bathroom and sat me on the toilet.

I began to push as I felt more blood come out and something a bit bigger than the average blood clot began to come out. 

As I pushed, realization began to flood throughout my body. This wasn’t my period; I was sure of that. 

I had been pregnant for the last week and I had just lost my baby.

I had a miscarriage.

I began crying uncontrollably as the little clot came out.

Levi immediately embraced me in his warm, strong arms, tears filling his eyes.

I buried my face in his chest, sobbing.

“[F/N], I need you and Levi to move so I can see inside the toilet,” Hanji calmly spoke, sadness tinging her usually perky voice.

Levi slowly pulled me up and held me in his arms as I limply fell into his chest, too weak from the lack of food and from the pain.

Hanji bent over the toilet, peering inside. She grabbed a piece of toilet paper and fished something out from the bowl.

She straightened up and turned to face us, sadness masking her face. I looked down at her hand. There it was. The egg that was going to be my child. My baby. 

“From the looks of it, you were about two weeks pregnant. I’m very sorry, [F/N],” Hanji solemnly stated.

I stared at the small object in her hand. The sadness became overwhelming as I began to collapse completely into Levi’s arms. 

Levi held me as I began to sob again. The sadness was too much. I couldn’t handle it. I dealt with losing my entire family to Titans. I dealt with losing many friends to Titans. Not all the training in the world could prepare anyone for this though.

“I’m afraid there isn’t much I can do for you. I don’t even want to ask you if I could experiment on this. It wouldn’t be right at all,” Hanji softly spoke. 

Hanji exited the bathroom, her footsteps soft. I could hear her sniffling as she left.

“[F/N]. Let’s get you cleaned up and lay you back down,” Levi softly spoke, breaking the silence surrounding us. 

I slowly nodded, giving in to the numbness that was egging at my body.

He gently picked me up and carried me into the shower. He slowly stripped our clothes, after turning on the water, not even caring about the mess he was creating.

He poured shampoo into his palm and began to massage it into my tangled [h/c] hair. 

I stood there next to him, limply, as he washed all the sweat, blood, and tears away from my body leaving it all behind as a mere memory. A very depressing memory. 

I looked up at his face for the first time since the event had occurred. 

In his eyes were an emotion one would never expect to see from him. In his eyes were something that no one thought the harsh Lance Corporal knew. In his eyes lay sorrow, pain, hurt, loss.

He looked into my eyes, seeing everything he felt reflected back at him. Tears filled his eyes as he paused his washing. The tears slowly slid down his cheeks as he continued to look into mine. 

“Levi…” I began to say. He lay his calloused hands on my cheeks, gently stroking them with his thumbs.

I didn’t need to say anything. He knew. He knew how I felt. He knew that it wasn’t going to be easy, but we were in this together.

Tears welled in my eyes as he pulled me into a soft kiss. We remained with our lips pressed together as tears streamed down both of our cheeks.

When we released, he pulled me into a loving hug. I laid my head on his toned chest as he stroked my hair, resting his chin on my head. After letting his embrace on me go, we stepped out of the shower and began to dry ourselves off. 

He led me into the closet and handed me some of my pajamas to change into as he stripped the bed of the sorrow-stained sheets.

I entered the bedroom from the closet, holding a pair of his pajama pants for him to change into. He had thrown the bloody sheets into a corner of the room and donned the bed in a light blue, silk set of sheets. 

He put on the pants and joined me under the covers of the now clean bed. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and we both fell asleep, completely exhausted from all the emotion and pain.


	7. Chapter 7

_Levi was lost in a forest. He couldn’t find his squad. He couldn’t find [F/N]. He needed to find his squad and get out. There were Titans everywhere. There were too many for them to handle. He had switched to 3DMG long ago and he was almost out of gas. He had no clue where his horse was. Time was running out fast._

_After checking his surroundings to make sure there weren’t any Titans nearby, he dropped to the forest floor to continue his search on foot. The ground was covered in a dark moss and many leaves that had fallen from the sea of trees._

_“Tch. It’s disgusting down here. I’m going to be scrubbing my boots for weeks to rid them of this filth,” he muttered to himself._

Boom.

_He paused, thinking he had heard something. After listening for a couple of seconds, he continued moving forward._

Boom.

_He paused again. He was sure he had heard something. He scanned the area, looking for any form of movement. Nothing was shaking. There was no movement here._

Boom.

_A large oak tree near his location began to shake violently. Levi took a few steps backward to try to get a better view of what was shaking the tree. He had a rough idea that it might be a Titan, but he wasn’t extremely sure._

_Giving up on seeing from the ground, he propelled into a tree near the shaking one. Once he was safely positioned on a thick branch, he turned to face the shaking tree. What he saw was his worst nightmare._

_There was a Titan that was at least 15 meters tall, jumping to try and grab a branch in the tree. On that branch was [F/N]. She was backed up against the bark of the tree. There was something different about her though. Her body was different. Then he noticed. [F/N] had a large belly that was perfectly rounded. She was pregnant._

_“Why is she out here if she’s pregnant though?” Levi thought aloud. He shook his head. This was no time to be asking questions. He needed to act quickly before something bad happened to [F/N]._

_He latched onto the tree that [F/N] was on and began to fly toward the Titan. Readying his blades, he aimed for the nape of the Titan’s neck. Successfully killing the Titan, he landed on a neighboring tree. The Titan fell to the ground with a large tremor, shaking all of the trees violently._

_As Levi, turned to go accompany [F/N], she screamed. He spun around to see her falling out of the 20 meter tree. She tried to use her 3DMG, but it wouldn’t work._

_Levi shot after her in an attempt to save her. His gas ran out as he neared [F/N]. He began falling, stretching his arms out to embrace her as they fell._

“Levi~,” I whined, “Please wake up!” I was shaking his body, as he had a scrunched face and was sweating.

Levi opened his eyes, slowly regaining consciousness. 

“Geez Levi. You thought I was hard to get up. I’ve been trying to get you up for at least five minutes now,” I complained, sitting with my legs and arms crossed, pouting.

Levi quickly tackled me and held onto me tightly, like a child finally finding their mother in the grocery store. 

“Umm, Levi? What the hell?” I grunted as he began to kiss all over my face.

“I love you so much, [F/N]. I never want to lose you,” Levi replied, looking into my [e/c] eyes.

“Aww,” I giggled. Regaining my mind from the haze of love, “Wait. Seriously. Who the fuck are you and what have you done with my Levi?” I questioned, suspiciously.

“I am your Levi. I swear to it,” he stated, resuming his normal bored expression. He rolled off of me and out of the bed.

“Hey! Where the hell do you think you’re going without giving me my good morning kiss?!” I whined.

He chuckled to himself, walking around the bed to my side of the bed, and planted a soft kiss on my lips.

“Is that any better, Princess?” he mocked.

“You turd,” I grumbled, sticking my tongue out at him.

He plopped down on the bed. “Are you feeling any better?”

My smile immediately disappeared, morphing into a very depressed face. A tear slid down my cheek, remembering the blood and the beginning of my child’s life.

Levi realized it had been a bad question, and hugged me tightly, stroking my hair. I buried my face in his chest, crying softly.

“I’m sorry, [F/N]. I should have known better,” he explained.

I looked up at him with my [e/c] tear-filled eyes. “No. Don’t blame yourself for anything. It’s okay. I’m just grieving. I just lost what would have been my first child. Of course it’s going to be a sensitive subject,” I said. 

He held me as I cried, while grief absorbed my body. I shook violently as I cried, as the demons of the memory were leaving for a while. Levi continued to hold me as I shook and cried, stroking my hair.

“You are exempt from your duties today. I just want you to stay in my office with me today while I do paperwork. I won’t make you get dressed or anything. I want to be with you today so I can make sure you’re okay,” he ordered, wiping the tears from my cheeks. 

I sniffed a few times. “Okay, but I may end up on your lap most of the day,” I spoke, wearily. 

“Whatever you need to do, my dear.”

*a few hours later*

I sat, curled up in a ball, under a large blanket, on Levi’s couch in his office. Levi sat at his desk, absorbed in his paperwork, muttering curses in French every so often. From time to time, I would begin to cry and Levi would have to pause to come comfort me before resuming his paperwork. 

There was a soft knock on the door.

“Levi? I need to ask you a few questions!” called Commander Erwin.

I tensed. I was indeed supposed to be in here, but I was not supposed to be mopping around in my pajamas and curled up under an over-sized blanket on Levi’s couch. 

Levi, however, seemed to not have any concern about it. He told the commander to come in.

The tall, muscular blonde entered the office, gently closing the door behind him. His bright blue eyes met my exhausted [e/c] ones. 

“Oh, [F/N]! What happened? Why aren’t you in uniform?” Erwin immediately demanded, concern spreading across his face.

“She’s very sick, Erwin. I hope you don’t mind that I’m allowing her to just relax here in my office, out of uniform. She’s been very ill the last few days,” Levi responded. 

I nodded, relaxing at Levi’s quick response. It wasn’t technically a lie. I had been very sick for the last few days. The last thing Erwin needed to know was that one of his cadet’s just had a miscarriage with his Lance Corporal’s baby. That was something that would not end well at all. 

“Well, I actually needed to talk to you about her being in here with you so much. I hope you don’t mind this, [F/N],” Erwin explained, sitting on a chair in front of Levi’s desk. 

I shook my head in response and sat up on the couch, interested in what Erwin was about to say.

“What is it, Erwin? I’m busy, so this better be extremely important,” Levi grumbled.

Erwin shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I don’t think it’s a good idea that you keep [F/N] in here so much. I also don’t think you should have her living with you. It makes it seem too much like a couple rather than a cadet and her superior. What I’m trying to say is, [F/N] needs to move back into her dorm. She can still be your assistant, but she will still be treated like a normal cadet.”

“No,” Levi stated.

I sat there in shock. I couldn’t believe what was happening. 

“Excuse me?” Erwin asked.

“No,” Levi replied in his bored voice.

“Are you going against what I’m saying, Levi?” Erwin questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yes I am, sir,” Levi answered, standing up. “I moved [F/N] in here as a punishment and I intend on going through with that punishment.”

“A punishment?”

“Y-yes, Commander,” I stuttered.

Levi turned to look at me. My face was completely drained of all color, my eyes were bloodshot, and here I was standing up to the man that controlled my job.

“I disrespected Levi multiple times and he decided that this was a fit punishment for me,” I explained. 

“Hmmm. I’m not sure if I’m okay with this, but I suppose I shall let this pass for now, Levi.” With that said, Erwin left deep in thought.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May contain some possible triggers.

Erwin kept a close eye on Levi and I for the next few weeks. Whether it was sending various cadets to give Levi some paperwork or Erwin himself barging into Levi’s office, there wasn’t an hour that passed without some interruption. Naturally, Levi was on edge about this.

I, on the other hand, was dealing with issues of my own. I did resume my training courses as they were mandatory for every cadet. 

While Sasha was still close to me, all of my other friends seemed to think there was something wrong with me. They stared at me and pointed as Sasha and I sat by ourselves at meals. They would whisper amongst themselves and quickly stop when I would approach them. It was getting ridiculous. 

Levi had noticed this during meals, and offered to say something to the cadets. I rejected any offer for help. I don’t need Lance Corporal Shorty to yell at a bunch of cadets for being sketchy toward me. I could handle this myself.

*time skip to present day*

“[F/N]!” Sasha called as she skipped happily down the hallway, “It’s such a beautiful day out! Would you like to take a walk down to the creek nearby?”

“I’d have to ask Levi first,” I sighed.

“I’m not opposed to you taking a break, [F/N],” Levi’s dulcet tone rang through the air.

I jumped as he placed his hand on my shoulder. He seems to pop out of the middle of nowhere like a random squirrel climbing a tree. 

“Are you sure, Levi? I thought you wanted me to do something for you,” I questioned, skeptically.

“You need to get out more. Breathing some fresh air and taking a nice walk would be good for you,” he simply stated.

“Oh thank you, Heichou!” Sasha squealed with delight, grabbing my wrist tightly and dragging me away.

“Sasha! Loosen your grip! I’m losing the feeling in my fingers!” I complained as she drug me out the wooden door of the castle. 

“Oops! Sorry!” she apologized, letting go of my wrist.

I moved my fingers around and massaged my wrist.

“Girl, you have a death grip. Save it for getting food during meals,” I criticized as we began our walk to the creek.

The sun beat down on us as we meandered toward the creek. There was a gentle breeze in the air. It was a perfect spring day.

“So, [F/N],” Sasha began, “What’s been going on with you lately? You haven’t been as spunky and sassy as you used to be. You seem more depressed and gloomy. What happened? Is Levi abusing you? He isn’t hitting you is he? I’ll go shove a potato up his ass if he is.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sasha,” I said, placing my hand on her shoulder, “Levi isn’t abusive. Nobody has been abusing me. I’ve just been having a hard time dealing with some things. I’m still pretty upset about losing a bunch of our fellow cadets at Trost. It’s been so hard for all of us, especially Jean, after losing Marco. I guess I’ve been taking it a little harder and it finally caught up to me.” I wasn’t lying, technically. We all were still grieving over Marco’s death. I really wasn’t prepared to tell Sasha about being together with Levi and having a miscarriage. 

“Oh really? Is that what you’re telling people, [F/N]?” a deep, male voice grunted.

Reiner stepped out from behind a tree. He was accompanied by Bertholdt, Connie, and Jean. They all had accusing expressions on their faces. 

“I heard something happened between you and Levi. Something that Commander Erwin wouldn’t be very fond of. You wouldn’t want him to know about that, now would you, [F/N]?” Jean jeered. 

“Leave her alone, you turds!” Sasha shouted. 

“Oh Sasha, why are you standing up for her? Isn’t it obvious that she’s hiding something from you?” Connie interrogated, moving toward her.

“Back off, Connie,” Sasha warned, jerking away from Connie. 

“What are you going to do about it? You know she’s hiding something from you! I can see it in your face!” he accused, grabbing her arm.

“Oh and what might I possibly be hiding from her? You guys have accusations, do you? Well why don’t you throw at me instead of her? Leave Sasha out of this! Or are you too scared to accuse me of something taboo? If you can’t say something to my face, then you don’t have the right to be saying anything! I have completely had it with you guys always turning around and pointing at me like I’m some disease. You need to just get the heck over yourselves and move on with your damn lives! You should be focused on training to kill Titans; NOT what’s going on in my personal life!” I yelled, completely infuriated. 

“Are you calling us wimps?” Reiner questioned, glaring at me.

“I’m saying you need a life and to grow a pair,” I answered, crossing my arms.

He lunged at me. I quickly sidestepped and kicked him to the ground.

Resting my foot on his back, I declared, “Don’t let me catch you saying jack shit about me again. Either you man up and tell me what you think I’m hiding or you take a hike.”

“You had a miscarriage,” Bertholdt spoke up.

“What?!” Sasha squeaked, turning to me. “Is it true [F/N]? Please tell me it isn’t true. You would have told me if you had been having sex and got pregnant, wouldn’t you?” she asked, tears forming in her eyes. 

“Where did you hear this? Who told you that?” I yelled, clenching my fists. 

“We saw it on Hanji’s desk. We were snooping in her office, trying to get some liquor and we saw a journal entry lying on her desk,” Reiner spoke, nonchalantly, pushing me off his back. 

“[F/N]?” Sasha softly spoke.

“I’m sorry, Sasha. I wasn’t ready to tell anyone yet. I was going to tell you. I just wasn’t ready,” I choked, tears beginning to flood my eyes. 

“Alright you shit heads. Listen up. If you don’t leave [F/N] alone and grow the fuck up, you won’t be going anywhere but the stables for the next 6 months. There is no need for you dumbasses to be heartless bastards to a woman that just lost her baby,” Levi growled, walking up to us. “Either you grow the hell up and act like real soldiers, or you get your sorry asses eaten by some Titans.”

“Come on guys. Let’s get out of here. I’d rather not be covered in horse shit for the next 6 months,” Jean said, waving his arm dismissively.

“Says the guy that looks like a horse,” Connie mumbled.

They sauntered away, grumbling amongst themselves.

“Cadet Blouse, I would like to see you and [F/N] in my office immediately.”

*time skip to Levi’s office*

“Now listen to me, you are not to tell anyone about this until [F/N] is ready to come out with this,” Levi ordered. 

“Of course not, Heichou,” Sasha responded. 

“Then you are dismissed.”

Sasha stood up, saluted, and left.

Once she was out the door, Levi turned to me. 

“Come here, [F/N],” he beckoned, patting his lap.

I sat on his lap and curled up in his arms as he massaged my back, kissing the top of my head.

“I’m here. Everything will be alright. I promise.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Contains some violence. 
> 
> I recommend reading with "Any Other Way" by We The Kings.

"There is no way in fucking hell those bastards are getting away with that stunt! I will track them down and humiliate every last one of them if I have to!" I ranted as Sasha and I walked across the yard.

"I don't know, [F/N]. This seems a little sketchy to me. I think it would be best just to let Heichou give them stable duty," Sasha skeptically stated.

"Please, all that would prove is that I'm his favorite and he's as far up my ass as everyone seems to think," I denied.

"But I thought he was up your ass," Sasha replied, tilting her head to the side.

"Sasha. I don't do anal. He isn't shoved up my ass. Ever," I explained, shaking my head.

"And I'm sure that's another one of your lies, isn't it, [F/N]?" Jean spoke from behind us.

"Oh would you just get the fuck over it already, Jean?" I groaned.

"Is Heichou's little girl upset?" Reiner spoke, coming at us from the left.

"What are you playing at?" I questioned, becoming angry.

"The same could be asked to you, [F/N]," Connie retorted from our right.

"Give it up, [F/N]. You don't stand a chance," Bertholdt demanded, nonchalantly walking up to us.

"Is that a challenge?" I questioned, raising my eyebrow.

"It's a fact," Jean answered.

"Sasha, I want you to get out of here. Go stall Levi. Go do something to keep the attention away from here. Payback is calling my name," I whispered.

Sasha nodded and barrel rolled out of the circle the men had formed around us.

"Oh you're doing this all by yourself? And here I was thinking that you would want some back up to help save your sorry ass," Reiner jeered.

"Please. You must underestimate the girl that kicked Heichou's ass a few weeks ago. Or are you just blocking out that someone was actually better than you at something?" I taunted.

Jean toughened up and threw a punch in my direction. I dodged, letting him punch Bertholdt instead. 

"Watch what you're doing horse-face!" Bertholdt yelled, his face heating up with embarrassment.

"You little shit," Reiner grunted as he attempted to wrap his arms around me in a lock.

I ducked and charged into his gut, picking him up, and flipping him over me, falling backward on top of him.

"That was unexpected. I don't think this is a good idea anymore, Reiner," Jean babbled, shifting around nervously.

"Awww, is little Jean-bo getting scared? Should I send for your mommy?" I mocked as I got off of Reiner.

"You little bitch," Jean snarled, his eyes dilating with anger.

"What are you gonna do about it, horse boy?" I taunted.

He ran toward me with his fist extended in an attempt to hit my gut. I sidestepped and intercepted with my knee to his gut. He coughed violently and doubled over for a second.

I walked up to him as he was hunched over. 

"Sorry Jean, but you were asking for this," I said as I planted my foot on his face and shoved him backward.

Connie's eyes widened as I looked at him menacingly. He was trembling violently and he looked like he was about ready to piss his pants in fear.

"Either you can apologize to Sasha and I or you can end up like Reiner and Jean," I offered, crossing my arms.

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry, [F-F-F/N]," he stuttered, "I-I w-was pressur-red into th-this."

"Go see how Sasha buys that, brat," I responded, coldly.

Connie scampered away from the scene in the direction Sasha had went.

I turned toward Bertholdt.

"Bertl, Bertl, Bertl," I shook my head.

"I can't believe you of all people are part of this. I thought we were friends. We used to have such great conversations during training. But now, I don't know if any of that was real. Were you really my friend or were you just faking it?" I questioned, looking at him sadly.

He began sweating heavily, like he does when he gets nervous.

I stepped toward him, trying to look into his eyes.

"I know you don't want to be doing this, Bertl," I spoke softly.

He looked away from me as I got closer to him.

"What are you hiding, Bertl?" I stood right in front of him, looking up at his 192 cm figure (which was quite the sight compared to my 168 cm figure). 

I stood on my toes and placed my hand on his perspiring cheek. He looked down at me, sadness flooding his green eyes.

"I'm sorry, [F/N]. This is something I have to do," he apologized before he kicked my feet out from under me.

I rolled to stop myself from the nasty landing I was about to take.

I shook myself mentally at what had just happened. Something was wrong with him and he didn't want anyone to know about it.

"Alright, if you're going to play like that, ol' chum, then I guess I have to do this too," I growled as I gave I kick in the direction of his spunk bunkers.

He grabbed my foot and twisted it so I would have to hop to turn in the direction he was twisting it without breaking my ankle.

Bertholdt moved toward me bringing my foot up to my butt. I could feel his crotch on the tip of my boot. I had thought of my escape plan.

"Look Bertl, I love you and all, but you really need to remember how close you should get to your opponent in battle," I stated as I shoved my foot up through his hand and into his crotch. He doubled over and fell to the ground.

"How could you?" he barked.

"The same reason you betrayed me, I had to," I answered.

I turned away from him and looked at the very much unconscious Reiner and Jean.

"You were lucky to have me as a friend. I guess you only took it for granted," I told him as I began to walk away from the scene.

I began to head toward Levi's office once I was inside the castle.

"At least that's done and over with now," I mumbled to myself. "Now maybe I can get some peace and quiet with my man."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heavy smut.

The sun had already went down and Levi was stuck at his desk filling out loads of paperwork. I had felt dirty after what had happened earlier that day, so I decided to shower while Levi was busy. 

“Levi~,” I purred, standing in the doorway to his bedroom, wrapped in only a towel. “Don’t you want to take a break?”

He didn’t even look up. “I’m a little too busy to be worrying about a break. Tch. Can’t you see the amount of work I still have to do?” He seemed annoyed. His whole figure was tense as he continued to read and sign papers.

I walked over to his desk and stood behind him. I gently placed my hands on his shoulders and began to massage him. He sighed a breath of relief, but still kept working on the papers. I began to kiss his neck, teasingly. I felt him relax just a little more and he leaned back in his chair.

“You really are distracting. How am I supposed to get anything done if you’re naked in my office, trying to seduce me?” he asked, sounding slightly irritated.

“You know that you want to bend me over your desk and fuck me senseless,” I responded, biting his ear. He growled in response. I could see the bulge in his pants growing. 

I smirked to myself and slid myself between him and the desk. His pupils had dilated with lust. He grabbed my waist and pulled me on top of him. I cupped his face and passionately kissed him. His hands trailed up my body and squeezed my breasts through the towel. I slid my hands down his neck and began to tug at his cravat. He continued massaging my breasts, earning a soft moan from me. 

I kissed him again and opened up the towel, dropping it to the floor. I could feel his lump pressing against my thigh. I grinned into the kiss, and ground my hips against his erection. He moaned, bucking his hips into mine.

There was a loud knock on the door, followed by a voice. 

“Oi, Levi. I need to talk to you,” Commander Erwin called as he turned the door knob.

“Shit,” Levi muttered under his breath, pushing me off of him and underneath the desk. He pulled his chair under the desk so the only thing visible was his stomach up. 

Erwin stepped into the office and closed the door behind him. I heard his footsteps come up to the desk and he sat down in a chair in front of it. 

Dammit Commander Eyebrows. You had to pick the worst time to come in here and blather on about who knows what. I thought to myself.   
“What did you need, Erwin?” Levi asked in his usual monotone voice. 

“It’s about [F/N],” Erwin started, “Apparently she got in a fight with a few of the other cadets.”

“Oh really?” Levi responded. I could here the interest peaking in his voice. He gave me a little kick under the desk.

“So you didn’t know about this?” Erwin asked, surprised. Levi shook his head in response.

Fuck. This wasn’t going to end well if I didn’t do something now. I searched around, but the only thing I could see was Levi’s crotch. Then it hit me. If I was going to distract him, this was the only way to do it. 

“Cadet Springer had informed one of the officials that there was a fight in the courtyard involving [F/N], Cadets Braun, Kirschtein, and Hoover,” Erwin continued. 

I quietly began to unzip Levi’s pants, gently rubbing his inner thighs. I felt his legs tense. 

“And?” Levi asked, no tone of distress in his voice.

I pulled his erection out of the zipper and licked up his length. I heard his breath hitch ever so slightly. I grinned and began to suck on the tip. His hands snaked their way under the desk and tangled themselves in my hair. I bobbed my head up and down, taking just a little bit more in my mouth. He pushed my head down further. It took everything I had not to make an audible gag. 

“Fuck,” he mumbled quietly.

Erwin paused. “Are you okay, Levi? You look like you’re trying not to sneeze,” he stated, sounding concerned. 

Levi coughed. “No, I am perfectly fine.” I took his whole length in my mouth. “Ahh-I-I’m probably just catching whatever is going around.” He faked a sneeze. I pulled him out of my mouth and roughly began to move my hand up and down his hardened member. 

“Okay-” Erwin sounded suspicious. “Anyway, from what I’ve heard, it was a serious fight that resulted in injury, so I’m going ask you to do something about it. Talk to her or something.” 

I licked his tip, tasting his pre-cum. He covered up his moan with another cough. 

“I don’t even think she would listen to me,” Levi said pushing my head back down. “But I’ll give her some form of punishment.” He pulled my head back up. He was getting close.

He continued pulling and pushing my head up and down, his legs tensing as he was resisting thrusting himself into my mouth. I felt him begin to release as his whole body tensed. He made a deep, low growl in the back of his throat.

Erwin had already stood up and was at the door. “Okay, Levi, that was all I wanted to tell you-” he paused when Levi growled. Levi noticed and coughed again. “I do hope you get rid of that cough soon. I really don’t need anyone else getting sick. We do have an expedition coming up soon.” Erwin left the office.

Levi stood up, knocking his chair over. “You shitty brat. You could’ve got us caught,” he snarled, yanking me up into a standing position.

“I’m not the one that was moaning so much,” I retorted, smiling devilishly. 

Levi furiously yanked his pants down. I kissed him lustfully, pressing my body against him and wrapping one leg around him. He laid me down on the desk, pressing himself into my body harder. He slid his hand down the curves of my body, stopping at my womanhood. He teasingly began to rub light circles on my clit, earning a moan from me. I pressed my hips into his hand, trying to get more pressure. Levi pushed my hips back down on the desk. I whined in frustration.

“I hear that you’ve been a bad cadet, so I’m going to have to punish you again,” he whispered into my neck, sending chills down my spine. He kissed down my body, sucking and biting my skin. He flicked his tongue lightly against my clit, causing me to moan and squirm. He continued flicking his tongue on me while he had a vice grip pinning me down on the desk.

“Levi please,” I moaned trying to get out of his grip.

He smirked at my moans and licked a line up my wet folds. He sucked on my clit, causing me to buck my hips up at him as I moaned louder. He teased my entrance with his finger, making me whimper more as his tongue flicking got faster. 

“Mmm, Levi~,” I moaned, resting my legs on his shoulders. 

He lightly slipped the tip of his finger inside of me, only to the first knuckle, and then pulled it out. He repeated this a couple of times as my frustrated whines became more frequent. Without hesitation, he plunged two fingers deep inside of me and began to thrust them in and out of me quickly. 

“Oh fuck, Levi!” I moaned, gripping the sides of the desk.

He looked up at me with his gray eyes and smiled. “You like that, don’t you?” he asked, painfully slowing down his pace. I nodded, leaning back on the desk, panting from the sudden arousal. 

“Levi, please,” I panted, “Don’t slow down.”

He roughly slammed his fingers inside of me again, slowly. “But this is your punishment, remember? You need to learn your lesson for being a bad girl.” 

He quickly picked up his pace again. I moaned loudly, arching my back. I was getting close after all of his teasing. I felt my walls begin to tighten around his fingers and the familiar knot in my stomach form. He could feel it too. Just when I was about to release, he pulled away from me and stood up. I shot my eyes up to his, frustrated. 

“You couldn’t possibly think I would let you get off that easily, now could you?” he stated in a mocking tone. He pulled me up to my feet. “No, this is what happens to naughty girls like you.” He turned me so I was facing the desk and bent me over it.

“Are you going to spank me again, for being such a bad girl?” I purred, grinding into him. 

He moaned. “You would like that, wouldn’t you?” he asked, raising one of my legs up onto the desk. I moaned, feeling his member pressed up against me. 

“Bad girls don’t get what they want,” he hummed into my ear as he bent over me, positioning himself with my entrance, “They get treated like the bad girls they are.” He thrusted into me, hard.

“Oh yes, Levi!” I practically screamed as he thrusted harder and harder.

His hands kept me pressed down against the desk, as he continued to feverishly pound into me. He moaned louder as our bodies moved in sync. The desk was creaking and shaking loudly and violently. I could feel his grip tighten on me as he was getting closer to his climax. 

“You aren’t going to be done fucking your naughty girl so soon, are you Levi?” I asked, knowing it would make him go harder and longer.

He grunted and loosened his grip on me enough so I could move around a little bit. I sat up on my elbows and moved my hips back into his as he continued thrusting into me. He dominantly slapped my ass and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into him. 

I was getting near my climax again, when he began to rub circles on my clit as he thrusted into my pleasure spot with everything he had. I began to see white spots as the pleasure overwhelmed my body, sending me into orgasm. I came all over him as he shot his warm seed inside me. We both collapsed on the desk, panting and sweating. 

Levi sweetly kissed me as he pulled me back up to my feet. “You are so sexy,” he said, kissing me deeper. I smiled into the kiss.   
“Good, because I’m about to get even sexier,” I replied, grabbing his wrist and dragging him into the bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

I woke the next morning, plastered to Levi's bare chest. It had to be at least 7 AM. Since when did Levi sleep in? I looked up at his slumbering face. He looked so peaceful sleeping. I wanted to get up and let him sleep some more, but his arm was wrapped too tightly around me.

"Levi~," I said, poking his face gently. He furrowed his brow. 

"Leeeviiii~," I tried again, poking his face again. He grumbled a little.

"Are you going to make me do this the hard way?" I complained. He did nothing.

I rolled my eyes and gently kissed his lips. His grey eyes opened as I pulled away. He smiled and kissed my forehead.

*time skip a few hours*

You know, even after romping with the Corporal who knows how many times, I still feel the compulsive urge to knock on his door every time I'm about to enter the room. I don't ask permission to come in. I just knock twice and barge right in. I guess you could call it a "fair warning" knock.

Levi was in his usual position at his desk, hunched over some paper work, as I waltzed into his office. By waltzing, I mean tripping over a rug and face planting at the bottom of his desk.

"Tch. I had to fall for the least graceful cadet," he complained, shifting a bit in his chair.

"The least you could do is help me up, jerk."

He stood up and walked around his desk, stopping in front of me. He held his hand out. I grabbed at and he pulled me up into his arms. I couldn't help but giggle as his usually hard expression softened into a smile as he gave me a soft kiss.

"Are you alright, my love?" he asked.

"As long as I'm with you," I replied, smiling. 

"Good. I need you to run a couple of things to Erwin for me," he replied, turning and grabbing a folder off of his desk.

"Alright, I just hope Erwin doesn't start questioning me. I get the feeling he's aware of our relationship and that isn't good," I mentioned, shuffling a bit nervously. Normally I'm tough and sassy; however, when it comes to Commander Eyebrows that person completely disappears.

"If he does, just tell him you're busy running errands and it will have to wait for another time," Levi responded, resuming his position at his desk. 

I sighed and left his office.

*skip to Erwin's office*

I stopped in front of Erwin's oak, double-doors. I took a deep breath and knocked.

"Who is it?" the commander called.

"Cadet [L/N] delivering papers for Corporal Levi," I responded. It's always awkward needing to use a title in front of Levi's name that isn't lover-related.

"Come in."

I pushed open one of the doors, revealing a large office with a desk in the center. There were bookcases along the walls overflowing with hundreds of books. Erwin was seated behind his desk with a large parchment in front of him that looked like a map.

"Come, sit, have some tea if you would like. I want to have a word with you, Cadet," he spoke, breaking my awe at his office.

"Umm, Heichou has me running other errands, sir," I protested.

"I think you are forgetting that my word goes over Levi's, [F/N]," he replied, looking up at me with his blue eyes.

"Yes, sir," I replied, placing the folder on a corner of his desk and sitting in a chair in front of it. 

"[F/N], there are a few things I would like to address with you. One is your behaviour toward a few of your fellow cadets," he began, leaning back in his chair.

"In my defense, they were taunting me and I was tired of their crap, Commander," I immediately reacted, knowing who he was talking about.

"Oh? Since when does that give you the excuse to fight them?" he retorted, raising a thick eyebrow.

I groaned. I knew this wasn't going to end very well.

"Do you know where this is going?" he asked.

"I have a pretty damn good idea," I mumbled in response.

"While it would be the right thing for me to punish you in some sort, your fighting skills are remarkable. I've heard plenty of praise on your skills as a cadet from various captains. Levi thinks very highly of you as well," he continued.

I couldn't help but blush at the mention of Levi. I was a cadet in love. Not to mention Lance Corporal Levi thinks highly of my skill. That gives me butterflies. 

"[F/N], I want you to join Levi's squad in training for the next week and see how things go. I think you're very much capable of it," the commander continued.

"I don't know if I'm qualified for that. I think you should offer it to Mikasa. She's so much better at getting rid of Titans than I am. Not to mention she moves very nicely with the 3DMG, sir," I rambled, thoughts racing through my mind. 

"You have more potential than Mikasa. Yes, she may be an elite cadet, but she doesn't seem to work well with a team. Plus, her main focus is Eren and if something happens to Eren, then she goes bat shit crazy," he explained.

I couldn't help but give him a horrified look. This was a side I didn't know Erwin possessed. He's normally so composed, but now he's talking like a gossiping teenage girl. 

"If you insist, then I'll try it I guess," I stuttered. This was so weird and unexpected.

"Good. Now there is another thing I want to talk about. Your relationship with Levi," he continued.

"What about it?" I questioned, cautiously. 

"Well, I definitely know that there's something going on between you two. Something that I probably would rather not know about, but whatever it is, you need to come out about it now," he commanded.

"Just because I live with him and am around him a lot doesn't necessarily mean there's something going on," I tried countering.

"Ah, but you haven't know Levi as long as I have. Every time someone mentions you, his eyes light up. That doesn't happen with Levi," he retaliated, "Levi acts very strangely when someone mentions you."

I don't like where this is going.

"I'm pretty sure that there is a special bond between you two, but I just want to hear it from you."

I sighed. I wasn't ready to tell anybody else about this. Hanji knowing was enough. I don't need Erwin knowing. 

"There is absolutely NOTHING going on between Levi and I. I was forced by him to live with him and be his assistant as a punishment. I have no clue when this punishment will end, but I know that nothing is going on between Levi and I." With that said, I stood up and marched toward his doors to leave.

"Oh and [F/N], you're walking a little strange today. Are you sure that you're alright?" Erwin called as I slammed the door.

That son of a bitch. He has no right to be forcing himself into my personal life like that. Yeah I'm walking weird. I just had Levi's huge ass fucking glory rammed into me all night. Not that I'm complaining, but still. Erwin doesn't need to be concerned about my love life. I'm a big girl. I can fucking take care of myself.

I opened Levi's door and slammed it shut. I was absolutely furious. I stormed over to the desk, crawled on top of it, and planted a furious kiss on him.Once the kiss was over, he resumed his posture. 

"I'm assuming it didn't go well," he blandly stated.

"You're damn right it didn't go well! He wouldn't let me leave and tried to make me tell him that we're together!" I yelled, slamming my fist down on his desk.

"Anything else, Miss Anger Management?" he asked, taking a sip of his tea.

"He also wants me to train with you and your squad for the next week," I answered, crossing my arms.

He spit his tea all over his papers and looked at me as if I was joking. "You're kidding, right?"

"No I'm not. And why are you acting like this? Apparently your big mouth got me into this. I guess you think 'very highly' of me," I smirked.

"I do think highly of you. Sure I've made a couple of remarks about your skill and whatnot when it comes to training, not to mention I was made fun of for a week after our training incident in your combat class. Still, I don't know if you're ready to train with my squad."

"You don't think I can keep up with you?" I smiled deviously as I moved around his desk, stopping next to him.

"It's a little sketchy, yes." He tensed as I began kissing his neck and cheek, crawling on top of him.


	12. Chapter 12

It was finally Saturday, which meant having the day off. The sun was shining, there was a beautiful breeze, it was nice out, and I had to come down with a fucking head cold.

I shuffled into Levi's office, wrapped in a blanket, and plopped down on his couch. He looked up from his paperwork at me.

"I sure hope you have clothes on underneath that blanket. I've gotten so far behind on my paperwork from all the sex we started having again," he noted. I sneezed in response. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"I feel like a train wreck. I'm snotting everywhere, I'm cold, I have a horrible headache, and my throat hurts," I replied, sneezing again.

He got up and walked over to where I was laying. He pressed the back of his hand to my forehead. 

"You're warm. I think you need to see Shitty Glasses. I'll make a pot of tea and you go pay her a visit," he ordered, striding into his room to fetch the tea supplies.

*time skip*

"Sorry, [F/N], I don't carry antibiotics. I work on Titans, not humans," Hanji sighed.

I stood there, not quite sure how I felt about this as it took everything I had to move next door to Hanji's office. I sighed and began to shuffle back to Levi's office.

He wasn't too pleased when I told him the news. He slammed his hands down on his desk in frustration as I tried not to pass out as I meandered to the couch and flopped over on it.

"You need a doctor and the closest thing we have is Hanji. She can't do jack shit. Fuck," he said, processing the situation in his mind. 

I, on the other hand, wasn't that aware of what was going on. "Yeah, sure whatever," I mumbled as I began to doze off.

"[F/N]! Stay awake!" I shot straight up from where I was staying.

"Are you trying to make me pee myself?!" I questioned, sitting back down. 

"Sorry. I just need you awake right now. You can sleep later. If Erwin walks in and sees you sleeping, we're both going to be in trouble," He answered, leaning back in his chair. "Drink some tea, it might help you feel better."

"Oh yeah, Papa Erwin strikes again," I muttered, sipping on the tea.

"That Jaeger brat's father was a doctor, wasn't he?" Levi randomly asked, pouring himself a cup of tea.

"I think he was. Eren never said much about him," I yawned.

"Go find him and bring him here," he ordered.

"Why don't you go find him and bring him here?" I mumbled as I sat my tea on a small table and lay down. 

Levi was getting very frustrated at this point. Just to add to his frustration, guess who decided to pay us a visit.

"Hey Levi, can I talk to you?" Erwin called from the other side of the door.

Levi exhaled and began to massage his temples. "Yes, Erwin."

Erwin's tall figure entered the office and sat down in a vacant chair. I sat up as Levi began to sip on his tea.

"You don't look so good Cadet [L/N]. Are you sick? You aren't pregnant, are you?" Erwin rambled. Levi choked on his tea.

"Erwin! What the flying fuck is wrong with you?! Of course she isn't pregnant! She has a head cold! Just because she's not feeling well doesn't mean she's pregnant!" he yelled, slamming the tea cup down on the desk.

Erwin put his hands up in defense. "Geez Levi. No need to get so defensive. It was an innocent question!"

"Look Erwin, whatever you've heard about [F/N] is a lie. She hasn't had sex with anyone. She isn't pregnant," Levi calmly spoke, "Now what did you come here for?"

Erwin sighed. "I need you to go to the market to get our supplies. It's your turn. I think there is a doctor there as well. You should take [F/N] so she can get some medicine." He stood up and began toward the door. "Oh and Levi, I know you two have been having sex. I walked down this hallway a few nights ago and heard your moans and the creaking of your desk." With that said, he left the room. 

I sat, frozen in my spot, completely appalled. Levi, on the other hand, was getting even more furious as he thought about it. His fists clenched, the vein in his neck began to pop out, he began to shake a bit in his chair.

"Levi. Calm down. Drink some tea. Take a deep breath. Get the blood flowing. It will be okay," I said, breaking the silence that had consumed the room.

He exhaled and took a sip of his tea. "You're right [F/N]. It will be okay. I have you here by my side and that's all that matters right now."


	13. Chapter 13

"I still don't understand why we have to wear our 3DMG if we're just running some errands for Commander Eyebrows and getting medicine," I complained as Levi and I made our way through the crowded market of Wall Rose. 

"I told you, [F/N], the Colossal Titan can strike at any moment. It is our duty as soldiers to kill it and protect humanity," he explained. "Now hurry up. I really don't want to be around these disgusting pigs any longer than I have to be." 

There were many small shops that had many varieties to choose from. There were a few shops that had rare delicacies such as candy and meat, but they were mostly empty as the prices were too high. Most shops had bread and various vegetables. One stand even offered fresh, steamed potatoes. When I saw the potato stand, I couldn't help but smile. 

I was so distracted, I hadn't noticed that Levi had stopped. I walked right into him. He didn't even notice. He was too busy gawking at one of the shops. 

"Levi? What's wrong?" I asked, walking around him to see what he was looking at. I immediately burst into laughter when I saw he was gawking at a "buy one get one free" sale on bleach. He gave me a dirty look and marched over to the stand, pushing everyone out of the way. After he had bought the bleach and merged his way back to me, he placed the bleach in our wagon with a content glint in his eye.

"Let's find the doctor's stand and get you some medicine so we can get on with this shopping trip," he suggested, placing his hand on my hand that had been pulling the wagon, looking down into my eyes with a smile hinting in his features. I couldn't help but smile. Even when I felt miserable, he still managed to make me feel special. 

We merged further into the depths of the crowded market, finally finding the doctor's stand. We bought a supply of medicine to keep on hand, and went to find a quick bite to eat. We stopped at a small stand that was serving some form of potato soup and a roll of bread. We ate as we continued our shopping. 

Our wagon became overflowed with supplies and food as we continued through the market. People would recognize Levi here and there and whisper excitedly. They would then begin to gossip once they saw me next to him. It was beginning to annoy me after a while. Levi noticed and took me into a fabric store.

"Levi, you know we can't buy any of this fabric. It's too expensive," I whined, sneezing.

"I just want you to look at some of the fabric. Pick out the ones you like," he ordered.

"Erwin won't be happy if we buy any of this," I continued, turning to look at him. He had disappeared. 

I ran around the store, trying to find him, when a beautiful [f/c] fabric caught my eye. It shimmered in the light of the lamp hanging above it. It was absolutely gorgeous. 

I shook my head, I couldn't be thinking about beautiful fabric right now. I had to find Levi so we could finish our errands and head back to headquarters. 

I searched the perimeter of the store. Levi was no where to be seen. I decided to try looking outside.

As I stepped outside, he was walking back up to the store with his hand behind his back.

"Levi, what the hell?" I questioned, sneezing again.

He grinned, mischievously, and pulled me into the middle of the crowd.

"Alright everybody, I command you to stop your shit and listen to me!" he bellowed. I laughed. He seemed so sure of himself and he was actually being obnoxious for once. He circled around the center of the crowd, making an opening but still not showing me what was behind his back.

When everyone had quieted down, he stood in front of me. At that moment, he got down on one knee.

"Oh my goodness, Levi. Are you really doing this to me when I'm sick?" I asked, tears beginning to flood my eyes.

"[F/N], I love you with all my heart. You've taught me so many things about life in the last month. I can't imagine my life without you by my side. I don't care what the hell anyone thinks. I just want you to be with me forever. We'll find a new land outside these walls and make it our own. We'll raise a family there and it will be beautiful. [F/N], will you please marry me?" he spoke, as I began to cry and snot all over.

I nodded my head and he wrapped his arms around me, kissing me passionately. The crowd erupted into an applause and cheering.

Of course, in this society, we can't seem to have any happy moments forever, can we? Above the wall, just like it happened 5 years ago, appeared a great flash of lightning. Emerging from that flash of lightning was none other than the Colossal Titan.


	14. Chapter 14

I stood there, as dumbfounded and horrified as everyone in the market was. Many people began crying. Others were screaming and running toward Wall Sinna. The only thought running through my head was I don't want to die.

"[F/N]! Come on! We have to get to the wall!" Levi grabbed my hand and began pulling me out of my horrified state of mind and back into reality. 

We quickly switched to 3DMG and flew up to the rooftops in the district. Civilians were swarming like a hive of bees below us. 

Once we were closer to the wall, we could see members of the Garrison Regiment running back and forth, loading their cannons. Many had tears streaming down their faces. 

"You go to the right and I'll take the left. We're going to circle it and get behind it," Levi commanded, quickly taking off to the left. 

I nodded and projected to the right. The soldiers on the wall spotted us and gawked for a moment, partially in disbelief. 

The Colossal Titan slowly raised it's massive arm in an attempt to swat at Levi as he made his way to the nape of its neck. 

"[F/N], blind it with your swords! Distract it so I can get a clean shot!" Levi yelled as he neared the Titan's neck. 

I crossed both my arms in an X-shape and released my swords as I quickly uncrossed them so the swords would spin into the Titan's eyes. The swords submerged themselves into its eyes as the Titan bellowed in pain. 

Levi quickly spiralled into a spot on attack on the Titan's neck, slicing into its nape. 

I swung around behind Levi as the chunk of the nape Levi had cut out fell down. Inside the Titan, we saw a symbol we knew all too well. The Wings of Freedom. The person wearing that symbol was what really got to me. Bertholdt, my friend, the guy I had snuck around the Trainee quarters with at night, the guy I had trusted my secrets with, my Bertl, was the Colossal Titan.

********************************************************************************

"[F/N], are you okay?" Levi asked. 

Bertholdt had been taken into custody of the Military Police. I was still in shock of what had happened. I couldn't believe that Bertholdt was the reason Wall Maria had been breached and taken over. He was the reason so many people had lost their lives. But why?

Levi and I were sitting on his bed, completely drained from today's events. At this point, I wasn't sure what was going on anymore. Levi had proposed to me and then Bertholdt appeared inside the Colossal Titan. My mind was engulfed in a clusterfuck of confusion. 

"I'm not sure, Levi. There is a swarm of thoughts going through my mind right now. I don't know what to do. I feel like we should be happy right now. I mean, we just got engaged and we somewhat defeated the Colossal Titan, but I'm depressed and confused instead," I replied, snuggling into his arms. He gave me a squeeze and kissed the top of my head. 

"Sometimes it's hard to deal with betrayal, especially when it comes to someone you are fond of. It's just something you have to get past and use it to grow stronger," he explained, a dark expression overcoming his face, "But the most important thing is knowing that the ones who love you will never betray you."

I looked into his eyes, smiling, and pulled him into a tender kiss.


	15. Chapter 15

I woke the next morning feeling like I had been hit by a train. My body was sore from the jerking of the 3DMG movement that happened yesterday. I still had a sore throat and runny nose. I was also mentally exhausted from everything that occurred. I sat up in the bed, glancing at Levi’s vacant spot.

“I’m sure Commander Erwin wanted to know every single detail of what happened,” I spoke aloud, checking Levi’s night stand to see if he even left a note. Nada. I sighed and got off the bed. 

I began to neatly make the bed as sunlight peered through the window. As I was tucking sheets in, the sunlight had caught a sparkle off of my finger. I paused, carefully examining the small, silver band that rested on my ring finger. It was a simple design with only one, small stone. It couldn’t have been an actual diamond. Stones are so rare. Only the Royals have stones anymore; but I knew Levi had his ways of obtaining what he wants. It was a beautiful sight though. It was a circle cut and was embedded into the ring for extra protection. Even Levi knows that I would break something this valuable accidentally.

After the bed was made, I sauntered into the bathroom to clean up. I took a quick shower since I had already taken a long shower the night before. As I was drying off, I pondered what would happen next. Would there be a trial? How would this event affect our next expedition? What the hell is Erwin going to say when he notices my ring?

I moved into the closet and got dressed, in full uniform. At least an hour had passed since I woke up; and there was still no sign of Levi. This was a little worrisome, given I had no idea where he was or what he was doing. 

I walked into Levi’s office and stared at his empty desk. There were only a few papers neatly stacked on it, but nothing else. I began to examine the papers, seeing if there were any clues leading to Levi, when the door burst open.

“[F/N]! I’ve been looking all over for you!” Hanji exclaimed with a strange gleam in her eye, “Erwin told me that you captured the Colossal Titan! I need you to tell me everything you can remember for my research!” She was so excited about this that she rushed forward and took my hands. 

I tried to take a step back. “Yes, well,” I began, looking around the room for an escape. “I’m kind of busy right now. Maybe we can talk about it at lunch?” I broke free from her grasp and darted out the door. 

“Holy shit that was close. If I would have stayed, I would have spent the whole day with her talking about Titans,” I sighed once I was a safe distance away from her. “On a more important note, where the fuck is Levi?” 

The hallways were mostly empty as most soldiers were in some form of training. As I walked down the hallway, I knew where he had to be, I just wasn’t ready to deal with it this soon. I stopped in front of the only large, oak, double doors in the castle. I took a deep breath and exhaled as I knocked on the door. 

I heard Levi’s annoyed “Tch” from behind the doors. The door began to creak open. “Whatever it is, brat, it can wa-” he stopped once he saw my expressionless face.

“Well aren’t you just a burning ray of sunshine, Levi?” I snickered, entering Erwin’s office. He grumbled at me. 

“Ah, Cadet [L/N], what good timing you have. I was about to send Levi to get you,” Erwin spoke. He was at his desk, writing on a piece of paper. “Levi filled me in on the events from yesterday. Cadet Bertholdt Hoover is in custody of the Military Police, but before they dissect him; we need to find out any information we can get him to spit out.” He paused, looking up at me with his blue eyes. “Levi tells me that you were close to Hoover in your training. Is there any information that you can give us to help?”

Levi had sat down in a chair in front of the desk, motioning for me to fill the other chair. I carefully sat next to Levi and looked into Erwin’s piercing blue stare. 

“All I know is that Titans attacked the village he lived in. He joined the military as a refugee and had intentionally wanted to be a member of the Military Police. He decided against it after the Battle of Trost, so he joined the Survey Corps. He is usually shy and quiet, but that’s because he has low self esteem. He’s the tallest person in my class and he gets sweaty really easily,” I rambled, earning an eyebrow raise from Levi at the last comment. I took a deep breath. I had been sitting on my left hand to prevent me from waving it around as I talked. My fingers were starting to fall asleep ever so slightly. 

Erwin shook his head and pondered what I said in silence for a moment. I took a glance at Levi. He looked exhausted just like I did. His gray eyes looked dull, as if he had been up all night. There were heavy bags under his eyes. I silently hoped that he would be able to rest soon. He noticed me looking at him, and gave me a small half-smile.

“It just doesn’t add up,” Erwin stated, frustrated. “How can two of our cadets be able to transform into Titans? How many Titan-shifters are there that we don’t know about? How many of them are in the walls of this castle as we speak? It just doesn’t make sense.” Erwin ran his fingers through his blond hair. 

Levi grabbed my hand under the table and I yanked it away from him, wincing in pain. Levi grabbed it again with a steel grip and it took everything I had not to yell at him to let go. He began to massage my fingers and I felt like my hand was going to implode from the sharp, needle-like pain that was pulsing through it. I shot him another look. He was completely off in space, staring down at my ring. I smiled slightly at the sight until he squeezed my hand. I groaned in my mind and rolled my eyes in defeat. 

Erwin sat, in deep thought, at his desk for a few minutes. There was a silence in the room. The only noise heard were coming birds outside the windows and the occasional yelling cadet outside. Levi was still staring at my hand. I was debating whether or not to tell Levi he’s hurting my hand, or to play it off as nothing is going on in front of Erwin. 

I finally stood up and buried my hand in my pocket, walking over to a window to gaze out of it. There was a combat class going on outside. I watched the cadets wrestle for a few minutes when Erwin finally broke the silence. 

“We need to visit this cadet, just like we visited Eren Jaeger. We have to get as much information as possible before the Military Police dissect him,” Erwin sounded very frustrated. 

“When are you and I going to do this then?” Levi asked Erwin. They shared a look for a minute. 

“It will have to be at night. He may be underground, but we still can’t afford to take any chances,” Erwin responded.

“What am I going to do?” I asked, forgetting about my hand, and throwing it into the air.

They both turned and looked at me. Erwin’s gaze caught the reflection of my ring. 

“ _You_ are going to stay here and not get into any trouble,” Levi answered, giving me a demanding look. I glared at him.

Erwin stood up from his desk and moved toward me, giving me an inquisitive look. I broke my glare at Levi to look up at Erwin’s tall figure. I looked at his eyes, and I looked down. _Shit._


	16. Chapter 16

“What is that on your hand Cadet?” Erwin asked, irritation building in his voice.

I froze, feeling my eyes widen and jaw drop. I glanced at Levi, who also had a panicked look on his face. 

“U-umm, you see…” I started, not sure of what to say. Erwin was standing directly in front of me. He grabbed my hand, holding my finger out, examining the ring. He tugged the ring off my finger and held it in the sunlight, further looking at it. He turned and looked me in the eye, his eyes showing pure anger.

“What. Is. This. Ring?” he demanded, his jaw clenched. He turned on Levi, giving him the same harsh look. “Well?!”

“It was her grandmothers,” he quickly spat out. Erwin didn’t seem to buy it.

“And-” I continued, “I just found it in my belongings the other day. I had forgot my mom gave it to me right before she died. She told me to always cherish it and keep it close to my heart. So that’s why I’m wearing it.” I took a deep breath, hoping Erwin accepted the lie. 

“If it was your grandmother’s, then why does it look brand new?” Erwin interrogated, raising a thick eyebrow. 

“My grandma took excellent care of her jewelry, and my mom kept it hidden after Grandma passed,” I answered, raising an eyebrow back. 

Erwin took a further look at the ring, examining the inside. He paused, appearing to be reading something. 

“If this was your grandmother’s, then why does it say ‘1000 Titans just to be with you, [F/N]’?” Erwin retorted, meeting my horrified and confused look.

I had so many emotions running through my mind at that moment. My heart was melting from how romantic Levi was, but at the same time; I wanted to yell at him for doing that. Standing this close to a very pissy Erwin was not helping anything either. I didn’t know what to do. I looked at Levi, who looked as defeated as I was, to Erwin, who had a glare that could kill someone. I was in full panic mode. 

“I was named after my grandmother?” I knew it was the worst lie I have ever came up with. I saw Levi facepalm in my peripheral vision. This absolutely sent Erwin over the edge. 

“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!” he yelled, hitting a nearby bookshelf, causing a few books to fall. Levi jumped up and yanked me out of the way. I was absolutely shocked. I knew his reaction would be bad, but I have never seen Erwin this mad.   
“Erwin. You need to calm down,” Levi calmly spoke, attempting to grab his arms and hold them down. Erwin swatted Levi away. 

“Do you realize that this is going to make the government question us even more? We already had trouble with them on Jaeger. Now they know one of ours is the Colossal Titan. They are probably already questioning if we have any other Titan-shifters. They’ve accused us of rebellion multiple times. Now my Captain is marrying a subordinate. Levi, you know how much shit we’ve been through with them. They will have me arrested and you too if they find out about this. To top all of that off, we haven’t had a successful expedition in years. We are absolutely doomed,” Erwin furiously rambled, pacing back and forth. 

Erwin’s speech sparked a million thoughts in my head. Levi continued to try to calm Erwin down as I stood by, thinking. 

_What if we just don’t act like anything happened? But almost everyone in the market saw us yesterday. However, the government knows we caught Bertholdt. But, they also don’t care who, they just like that he’s in custody. If there are other Scouts that are Titan-shifters, they know that they’re in danger of being caught. They know they need to escape. They wouldn’t escape without their comrade though. But who would it be? These are Titans with distinct features. These are abnormal Titans._

Erwin had finally sat back down after Levi practically forced him. I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice Levi trying to get my attention until he walked in front of me and shook me.

“Hello? Earth to [F/N]. What are you thinking?” he asked, getting my attention.

I looked at both of them. “Tell me which Titans you have seen that have stood out to you the most.” They both looked confused. 

“What does that have to do with us getting arrested?” Levi questioned, looking as confused as Erwin.

I paced, back and forth, across the room. “Think about it. There were two Titans the day Wall Maria was breached. They both looked extremely abnormal. They both didn’t have much skin. They both knew exactly what they were trying to do.” I paused to look at both of them again. Their expression had changed to a more understanding look. “We already know the tallest was Bertholdt; but what characteristics did the Armored Titan have besides being armored? Think about the similarities between Eren in his human form and his Titan form.” They were silent for a minute. 

“Short, blonde hair,” Levi spoke. 

“A very intimidating look on it’s face,” Erwin finished.   
“Exactly. Who do we know that has short, blonde hair, and usually wears an intimidating look on his face?” I pondered further. 

They looked at each other and looked back at me. “Cadet Reiner Braun,” they said simultaneously.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I do not own "Let the Flames Begin" by Paramore

Both Erwin and Levi’s eyes had widened with realization. However, they both processed it very differently. Before Erwin showed any deeper reaction, Levi, being the impulsive person he is, had already taken off toward the door. I stepped in front of him, purposefully having him run into me, causing both of us to fall to the ground. I flipped us, so I was on top of him, and so he couldn’t move. 

“[F/N]! What are you doing?” he barked, squirming underneath me. We both knew he could easily break free of the position we were in, but he wouldn’t dare do anything to purposefully hurt me. 

“Do you honestly think that barging into cadet training and arresting Reiner is the smartest idea? What if there are other Titan shifters around that we don’t know about? Things could get ugly really fast, and we really can’t afford any injuries or casualties,” I retorted as he continued to fidget. He gripped my waist and I saw the glint in his eye showing that he was going to flip us again. I grabbed his wrists and pinned them down. He grunted, gave me a glare, and turned his head toward Erwin, who had stood up and began pacing again. 

“[F/N] makes a good point, Levi. You can’t go arresting one person without alerting not only the other Titan shifters, but also the other soldiers. Not everyone is aware of what happened yesterday either. The last thing we need is all hell to break loose before we even have a plan of what to do,” Erwin spoke, looking at Levi as he paced. 

He paused and turned his gaze to me. His electric blue eyes met my [E/C] ones. We shared a mutual look of understanding. “You have a plan, don’t you [F/N]?” he asked, raising a thick eyebrow. 

“Yes, sir,” I nodded. He motioned for me to come to his desk as he had moved back behind it. I stood up, off of Levi, and walked over to his desk. Levi followed suit, with intense curiosity in his eyes. 

_//Let the Flames Begin by Paramore starts//_

“First of all, we need to call everyone into the castle. No one can enter, no one can leave. Second, have everyone from the 104th stay in the basement until we can execute our plan. I’ve noticed that all the Titan shifters among us happen to all be the new recruits; so, if my theory is right, any other possible shifter is also a cadet,” I calmly spoke, hunched over the desk, looking between Erwin and Levi. Erwin’s eyes were very interested, Levi’s showed interest among concern. 

_//What shame we all became such fragile, broken things//_

I paused, straightening out. “Someone should probably get started on that now,” I said, looking at Levi. Levi met my gaze and then looked at Erwin, who nodded his head in response. 

_//A memory remains just a tiny spark//_

Levi grunted, rolling his eyes, and began walking to the door. “That Yaeger brat better have the basement clean,” he grumbled as he opened the door, exiting the room.

_//I gave it all my oxygen//_

I turned toward Erwin. I had his full attention now. 

_//To let the flames begin, to let the flames begin//_

“You, Levi, and Mike, are going to enter the dungeon to ‘question’ Bertholdt. If our timing is right, Reiner will be in the area waiting to break in and get Bertholdt out,” I commenced.

_//Oh glory, oh glory//_

“Next, we set up our groups for a surprise raid. We only take the essential people. No extras. If we have too many people in the city, the Military police will get suspicious quickly, even if they are dense and oblivious to most things. They are alerted now though, knowing that there was another attack. We only take the soldiers with skill,” I continued, looking straight into his eyes. 

_//This is how we’ll dance when, when they try to take us down//_

He tilted his head to the side a bit, showing he was in deep thought. He nodded, telling me to continue.

_//This is what will be oh glory//_

“With that being said, our list narrows down to only a select few people,” I started, making sure he was following closely. 

_//Somewhere weakness is our strength//_

“Hanji’s squad, if we can capture anyone, we need them. Eren Yaeger, for his shifting abilities. Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert, to protect Eren when he shifts. Sasha Braus, Connie Springer, and Jean Kirschtein, to guard the area we are in, without being noticed, and to send off signals to communicate with the others. Krista Lenz and Ymir, to assist where needed,” I listed, watching his facial expressions change as I spoke.

_//And I’ll die searching for it//_

“Everyone involved will have discreet clothing, concealing their gear. We are going to spread out, hiding in places that we won’t be seen. It would be as if we are ‘assassins’ if you will,” I explained. He seemed on board with my idea by the way he would nod his head in agreement.

_//I can’t let myself regret such selfishness//_

“Where are you going to be located when this happens, [F/N]?” he questioned with concern laced in his voice.

_//My pain and all the trouble caused//_

“I’ll be among Hanji’s group, which will be closest to you. I’ll be closely monitoring the situation and sending signals for everyone to pass on. We will be spread out, away from each other enough to cover the entire area, but still close enough to see the signals we send each other,” I answered, confidently. 

_//No matter how long//_

“What is your layout of positions, then?” he further pondered.

_//I believe that there’s hope//_

I arranged the papers on his desk to form a square with five rows. Pointing to the paper in the middle of the top row, I spoke, “This is you, Levi, and Mike.” Moving down a row, and pointing at every other paper, “This is Hanji’s squad. I will be at the location behind you and to the right, so I can see what’s going on the best.” 

_//Buried beneath it all and...//_

Down another row and pointing at the staggered locations, “This will be Eren’s group. If we need him to shift, we want him to be as close to us as possible so he doesn’t get too out of hand. Mikasa and Armin know how to bring him back to the mission if needed.”

_//Hiding beneath it all and...//_

“Row Four will be Sasha’s group. This is technically the last row we will occupy, since we don’t want to alert the Garrison in any way either. If we get too close to the wall, they might catch on to what’s happening as well. Ymir and Krista will be floaters, but stay in the same row as Sasha’s group until told to move,” I continued, meeting Erwin’s look again. 

_//Growing beneath it all and...//_

“So everyone is staggered, for communication and area coverage, I assume,” he conveyed, to which I nodded in response. “What other materials will we be needing?”

_//This is how we’ll dance when//_

“We’re going to need the special target restraining weapons you had saved for our next expedition,” I answered. He didn’t like the sound of that, but let me continue.

_//When they try to take us down//_

“We will cover them, and hide them in the alleyways so they just look like supply carts. With any luck, we won’t need to use them all, but I know that nothing ever goes as planned,” I justified, seeing him reluctantly nod in approval.

_//This how we’ll sing it//_

“How many casualties are you expecting?” he asked, sounding concerned. “We aren’t taking many soldiers, so this could end very badly if we aren’t prepared.”

_//This is how we’ll stand when//_

“I’m only expecting the ones who show more emotional attachment to get injured. So that would be Armin, possibly Mikasa, Sasha, and Krista,” I returned, grimacing at the thought of Sasha being injured. I didn’t like thinking my best friend would be hurt, but it was a higher possibility. 

_//When they burn our houses down//_

“You seem hopeful with such a small number of casualties,” he scoffed with a small grin playing across his face. 

_//This is what will be oh glory//_

“Obviously there is room for shit to go down, but that’s just my logical observations,” I dismissed, returning his grin. 

_//Reaching as I sink down into light//_

“How do we plan on getting in without causing a commotion?” he speculated, seeming willing to put this plan into play.

“We blend in with the crowd that is entering and exiting the wall. We begin at the time of day where there is a lot of traffic in and out of the walls, that way we won’t be noticed. Your group will enter the formal, traditional way, the rest of us will act like civilians,” I concluded. 

_//Reaching as I sink down into light//_

“What are our communication signs?” he inquired.

_//This is how we’ll dance when, when they try to take us down//_

I showed him each sign, one for each situation. Spreading out, everyone in place, Erwin’s group making it inside the dungeon entrance, Reiner’s appearance, Eren shifting, another Titan appearing, firing the restrictive weapon, and fighting. They were easy signs, so it would be a quick learn for our troops. 

_//This is how we’ll sing it//_

“Lastly, why should I trust a cadet’s word over my squad leaders and execute this plan that could cost us some of our best recruits?” he challenged. I paused and looked at him in confusion. Why would he hear this plan and then ask me that?

_//This is how we’ll stand when//_

We were both so engrossed in the plan that we barely heard Levi re-enter the office. “Because your Captain would trust this _cadet_ with his life,” he remarked, breaking our concentration as he walked up to where I was stand and wrapped his arm around my waist. 

_//When they burn our houses down//_

Erwin considered this for a moment. He looked at Levi, then looked at me. “We set off at dawn. Every lead will take turns guarding the cadets tonight to make sure there isn’t any funny business,” he finalized, sighing relief.

_//This is what will be oh glory//_

“Now round up the involved soldiers into the mess hall so we can go over this plan with them,” Erwin ordered, sending us out of the office. 

Once we had shut the door, Levi turned on me, startling me. He grinned and pulled me into a passionate kiss. I melted into the kiss as he pressed me against the wall. He pulled away, and gave me a warm, loving smile. I smiled back.

“I love you, [F/N],” he quietly spoke.

“I love you too, Levi.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up that this is a long chapter! If you choose to listen to any music while reading this, I suggest Groose's Theme from Skyward Sword for the second half of this chapter. (Where Reader-chan, Mike, Erwin, and Levi sit down and talk.) Here's a direct link for you: https://youtu.be/5xD1FAOJI84

Levi and I had finally managed to herd everyone into the mess hall. A few were a little irritated, but most were confused. They were all seated, with Hanji’s group, along with Mike and Levi, occupying one table and the cadets occupying another. Erwin and I stood in front of them. I could feel the cadets’ eyes staring at me, mostly from Jean’s harsh glare. I could see he was still salty about losing a fight to me. Hanji, on the other hand, was excitedly talking about her research to Mike and Levi. Mike at least had the courtesy to half-listen to Hanji. Levi looked like he was being tortured to death. Erwin cleared his throat, signaling everyone’s attention to the front of the room. 

“As some of you may know, there was an attack on Wall Rose yesterday by the Colossal Titan,” Erwin began, earning a few shocked stares from the cadets. “It just so happened that I had sent Levi and [F/N] to the market to get supplies yesterday. They were there when it happened and successfully captured and detained the person behind the Titan, Cadet Bertholdt Hoover,” he continued. 

As he spoke, I was studying the reactions of the cadets. Most had looks of shock among their faces. I watched Eren tense as his hands formed fists. Mikasa noticed and covered his hands with hers as they shared a look of understanding. As I scanned the room more, I noticed Ymir, of all people, looked worried. She exchanged a few looks with Krista as well. I kept my focus on the duo as Erwin continued.

“We believe that there are more Titan-shifters among us than just Bertholdt and Eren. We’ve also observed that the shifters are also all new cadets, which helped lead us to the conclusion of who we believe is the Armored Titan,” Erwin proceeded. Everyone in the room began to look at each other, then back at Erwin. “Cadet Reiner Braun.” 

Ymir began to shift uncomfortably, as if she was hiding something. Krista had put her hands on Ymir’s, in a comforting way. I made a mental note of their behavior to mention to Erwin and Levi later. I turned my attention to Jean and Connie, who both looked equally shocked to hear that Reiner was in suspicion, to make sure they weren’t acting suspicious either since they were Reiner’s friends. There was no suspicion in the look they exchanged with each other. They looked completely clueless. 

“We also believe he is going to attack the dungeons where Bertholdt is being held, in an attempt to break him out. This is why we have called this meeting. We are going to be there when Reiner attacks, and we are going to capture him, along with preventing Bertholdt from escaping. We are only taking those who we believe will serve a crucial part in this counterattack,” Erwin carried on, “Cadet [F/N] made a crucial point that the Military Police will be on alert after capturing another Titan-shifter. Therefore, we will go about this discreetly. Each of you have been selected to play a crucial part in this operation. We've already made an important capture for humanity and tomorrow, we will make another!” 

Erwin made a motion to me, signaling me to explain the plain. I took a deep breath and proceeded, explaining everything in detail. I was talking with my hands so much that I was happy I had remembered to take my ring off and stick it in my pocket before this meeting commenced. No one needed to know the news right now. Our focus needed to be on the task at hand. 

All eyes were on me. It wasn't like I was nervous or anything, it was mostly the fact that everyone was watching my every move carefully. It wasn't helping that Levi would give me a seductive look every now and then when my eyes would graze across his stare. He would also smirk a little every time my eyes would meet his. He was trying to break my focus as I spoke, to see how into it I was. _Jerk_. 

After I finished, I asked if anyone had any questions. There were quite a few, mostly from the cadets.

“What happens if Eren can't shift again? How do we deal with that?” Jean was the first to ask. He asked this question rather harshly, making Eren appear slightly offended for a moment. 

“The back squad trades spots with Eren’s squad until he can and we go into battle. Mikasa and Armin will stay by Eren unless ordered otherwise,” I paused, making eye contact with both Mikasa and Armin, “Our traps will be fired the second Reiner shifts completely. That buys us time to get through at least some of his armor and get to the nape of his neck until Eren can shift.”

“How do we know that there aren't going to be any other shifters that appear?” Mikasa asked, sparking the interest of several others. 

“We don't, which is another reason why we are so spread out. It is also why we have a signal for the situation, if it arises, and why we have skilled soldiers coming with. If another shifter appears, we have no choice but to kill them on the spot before they kill us or any innocent civilians.”

“Tch. I wouldn't call those pigs _innocent_ ,” Levi scoffed.

My eyes snapped toward his. He had a challenging look on his face. I knew he was only doing this to irritate me. He knew exactly how to push my buttons.

“Let me rephrase that then. I don't want anyone to die unnecessarily,” I retorted, narrowing my eyes at him. I knew he despised unnecessary death. His eyes narrowed back at mine. _Two can play this game_.

“The Armored Titan is covered by thick plates of armor. How are we going to get past that armor?” Armin questioned. This question captured the most attention of the room.

I looked at Erwin, unsure if I was allowed to tell them the rig he had set up with Hanji previously. He nodded his head. Before I could even open my mouth to answer the question, Hanji had already jumped up excitedly, causing the entire table around her to sigh and roll their eyes.

“I can finally share our research! I've only been able to share it with a few higher ups!” she exclaimed with a huge grin on her face. She ran over to the table the cadets were at and plopped herself down right next to Armin, who appeared startled by her excitement. “Erwin and I came up with the idea to rig our special target restraining weapons with explosives! If the impact is enough, it should be able to knock one of the armor plates off fairly easily! However, it takes three hits to get it the plate to fall off. We rigged this up shortly after we captured Annie,” Hanji rambled excitedly. She continued rambling long enough for me to pull Erwin aside for a moment to tell him my hunch about Ymir. 

“Have you noticed anything strange about Ymir, sir?” I asked, studying his gaze. I could see Levi’s stare follow me out of the corner of my eye. I knew he would want the details before Erwin, but it would be too obvious if I went over to the table and mentioned it to him in front of everyone else. 

“I’m glad you noticed as well, [F/N]. It’s very suspicious. Do you think she could be another shifter?” he questioned, kneeling down closer to me. I nodded in response.

“If she is, then Krista might know something too,” I pondered.

“We need to separate this group from the other groups then. If this information gets out, this whole operation will be a bust,” he resolved. I agreed with him. It finally appeared we were on the same page about something for once. 

Hanji had completely changed the topic to her research on Sonny and Bean. The cadets surrounding her looked miserable. Armin looked even more disgruntled for asking the question that sent her off on a tangent. Erwin and I had moved back to our spots in front of the room. I met Levi’s eyes and he raised an eyebrow at me, signaling that he was curious about what just happened. I shook my head at him, signaling that now was not the time or place for that conversation. 

“Okay,” Erwin spoke loudly, capturing everyone’s attention again, “If there are any other questions, now is the time to ask. Otherwise, we will be moving you to your quarters until this operation is over.” His last statement earned a few confused looks. 

“Sir, why are we being moved around?” Eren asked.

“We believe that in the case of infiltration, you all shouldn’t have contact with the others. It’s more of a safety precaution than anything. You will be moved to the other side of the castle where the squad leaders reside. This is so we can monitor you closely and make sure no information gets out. Otherwise, this whole operation will be a bust and humanity will lose again,” Erwin answered. 

No one dared to go against his authority, luckily enough. However, I knew it would raise a few red flags since the majority of the cadets had just been moved to the basement within the last few hours, but this needed to happen again. The information we had obtained was too crucial to let anyone not involved know. 

Seeing as there were no other questions, everyone was dismissed. Hanji’s squad escorted the cadets to their new quarters, leaving just Erwin, Levi, Mike, and I behind. I sat down at the table Levi and Mike were at, across from Levi. Erwin had just sat down next to me when Levi’s interrogation began.

“What the hell did you say to him while Shitty Glasses was rambling?” he demanded, gesturing toward Erwin. Mike seemed curious too, but his expression was slightly softer than Levi’s. 

“Did either of you notice anything strange about any of the cadets from your angle?” I retorted, raising my eyebrow at them.

“Despite Jean glaring at you the entire time and Eren getting mad a few times, not too much,” Levi answered, raising an eyebrow back. 

I turned my attention to Mike, who sat quiet the entire time. His gray eyes met my [e/c] ones. His look showed that he had noticed something odd.

“There was an uncomfortable air in the room. It emitted a strange smell when you mentioned there might be other shifters among the cadets,” he responded. He looked at Levi quickly before continuing, “And no, it was not anyone passing gas. Not everyone is constipated, you know.” I snorted at his last comment, seeing Levi’s irritated look. 

“Cadets Ymir and Krista Lenz reacted differently to the information we shared, compared to the other cadets. They appeared worried, almost as if they were afraid of something happening. [F/N] noticed this, just as I did, and mentioned it to me as soon as she could,” Erwin stated, “We both agreed that it was too risky to allow them to mingle with anyone not involved in this operation, so I decided to move the team away from the others again.” 

“So the watch tonight is going to be split between two sections of the castle, instead of just being in one spot?” Levi asked. 

“Yes, I’m afraid so. I think we should have [F/N] sleep with the other cadets, _like she is supposed to_ , to see if anything happens throughout the night. There will still be a rotation of watch amongst the squad leaders anyway, but we can’t risk leaving a window open right now,” Erwin answered.   
Levi glared at Erwin for a moment because of his remark, but quickly let it go. Erwin had a plan in mind and was letting our relationship slide for the time being. This was not the time for Levi to get snippy with Erwin. 

“Levi, when are you going to let [F/N] resume her normal schedule anyway?” Mike questioned. He was still in the dark, for the time being at least. I didn’t know how, but thank goodness he was. It seemed as if so many people had found out in the month and a half Levi and I had been together. Thankfully, the number of people mostly just included cadets. 

Erwin seemed amused by Mike’s question and Levi and I’s surprised reaction to his question. 

“Yes Levi, _when_ are you planning on allowing [F/N] to resume her normal schedule and move back into the barracks?” Erwin teased, concealing the shit eating grin he had on his face. 

“Whenever the hell she stops causing trouble for me,” Levi retorted, shooting a mean look at all of us. Erwin snorted at Levi’s hostile look. Mike seemed a little confused for a moment.

“When do you plan on doing that, [F/N]?” Erwin snorted, no longer concealing his grin. Mike saw Erwin’s look and could tell he was poking fun.

Playing along with Erwin’s game, I replied, “I don’t know. Maybe next week, maybe in a year. Fuck if I know, really. Levi just keeps piling responsibilities on me. It’s like he doesn’t want me to go back to my normal schedule.” I grinned at Levi. He kicked my shin underneath the table, which only made my mischievous grin grow larger. He glared at both Erwin and I. It was nice to see Erwin lighten up for a moment in such a serious situation. 

“Sounds more like you’re more his _slave_ than his assistant, really,” Mike added, earning a glare from Levi. 

“Would you three cut it out? You’re only going to add to [F/N]’s time as my _assistant_ ,” Levi snapped, making the three of us look down in shame. It didn’t stop us from snickering at his irritation though. 

Hanji had re-entered the room and sat down next to Erwin. “You’re still calling her an assistant?”she questioned, oblivious to the snickering Erwin, Mike and I were doing. “The sounds your desk has made recently sounds like she only assists in getting you off, Levi.” 

I buried my face in my hands and felt my whole face turn a bright shade of red. Erwin chuckled loudly at Hanji’s statement. 

“Goddammit, Shitty Glasses!” Levi yelled, lunging across the table at her. Mike grabbed Levi’s waist and yanked him back down to his seat.

“That would explain the weird moaning I hear coming down the hallway in the evening,” Mike stated, looking at Levi and I. His gaze turned to Erwin and Hanji, who both seemed to be enjoying tormenting Levi and I. “Wait, am I the only one here that didn’t know about this?” Erwin and Hanji both slowly nodded, grinning brightly.

“Hanji found out a few weeks ago when [F/N] had an incident,” Levi spoke lowly, looking at me for a moment. “Erwin heard us and confronted us earlier this week, but only seriously confirmed what’s going on a few hours ago.”

“Ah, I see,” Mike said, crossing his arms. “So there’s only a few people that know?”

“Yes. Only a few cadets know and we plan on keeping it that way for a while longer. It’s too risky at this point to announce anything with the capture of one of our cadets and the impending capture of another. If any other big news comes from this section of the military, the government might try to arrest Erwin and Levi for treason,” I explained, earning a nod from Mike. 

“Anyway, there’s still things to be done and prepared before we leave tomorrow. I suggest we get started now,” Levi deterred, standing up and pulling me to my feet. 

The others sighed in agreeance and stood to their feet. Levi and I saluted and dashed out of the room before anyone could interrogate us further.

“But wait, [F/N]! You still haven’t told me the details about the Colossal Titan!” Hanji called after us.


	19. Chapter 19

The sun had finally set. The day had been a very chaotic one and it built throughout the day, even after the meeting with the special troop for the next day’s operation. The amount of chaos throughout the castle had built so much tension amongst the soldiers. Many cadets were angered and confused when they were ordered to change into their civilian clothes, including the group that had been set aside for the following day, but Erwin was taking every precautionary measure. Only one cadet, however, was ordered to stay in full uniform, me. 

Even by the time everyone was forced to turn in for the night, I was instructed by Erwin to at least wear my harnesses over my pajamas. It had to be the wrongest and uncomfortable feeling ever. Not only was I extremely out of my comfort zone, but remaining in partial uniform had made all of the cadets weary of me. A few attempted to crack a joke about it, but many just avoided me at all costs. Luckily, Sasha always pulled through for me.

“[F/N]! I haven’t seen this much of you in so long! I missed you!” she excitedly squealed as we curled up on our mattresses. 

The room we were in was a large, usually empty room. For the time being, it was filled with tired cadets and several mattresses. I had partially argued with Erwin to about allowing the cadets to move some spare mattresses into the room since we were going to be sleeping in it. I finally convinced him when I made a fair point of “who wants to sleep where everyone’s feet and shoes have been tracking who knows what around all day?” to which Levi intervened in the argument, knowing that there was not enough time in the day to bleach the hell out of the room before sleeping on the floor. Erwin had rolled his eyes and reluctantly allowed it. 

“You see me every day, Sasha! It’s not long _that much_ has changed since I moved in with Levi. Sheesh,” I replied, smiling at her.

“But I don’t get to talk to you until midnight anymore or sneak into the boy’s room at night with you anymore!” she pouted, crossing her arms.

“You snuck out of your barracks after lights out? You’re more of a brat then I realized,” Levi’s cold voice spoke, standing above my mattress.

“It was even more challenging when you would wake up in the middle of the night to go make yourself a pot of tea. It got to a point where we almost knew what time of night to expect you walking down the hall toward the kitchen. We called it the witching hour,” I snickered, meeting his annoyed look. “Sometimes we would wait _so-oolong_ that we would wonder if you fell asleep drinking your tea.”

Sasha was howling with laughter, despite the cold look Levi was giving both of us. I knew he wasn’t going to do anything to me about it, and at this point, I’m pretty sure he didn’t care enough to even bother assigning Sasha some form of cleaning duty. 

“One night, you didn’t come back for a good forty minutes so we were a little worried that something happened to you. It turned out that you had drunk so _matcha_ tea that you passed out on the table you were sitting at,” Sasha giggled. I rolled off the edge of my mattress, laughing with Sasha. 

Levi rolled his eyes at me and squatted down, between Sasha and I. We wiped the tears from our eyes and smiled at his growing annoyance, still giggling. He turned his head and looked at me, all humor gone from his eyes. The bags under his eyes from this morning had grown and I could tell he was more than ready to lay down. I sympathized with him. I knew he had been all over the castle today, making sure everything was okay and everything was in place. I knew he was stressed that we couldn’t spend our first nights engaged alone or even do anything to celebrate it. I collected myself and smiled softly at him. I knew he was ready to be done for the night.

“We knew we would get in trouble if we woke you up and told you to go to your room since we were out of our rooms after lights out. Sasha went to go see Connie, so I went back to my room and grabbed a blanket to cover you up with. But by the time I got back to the kitchen, you had already left and went back to bed,” I continued, seeing his eyes soften a bit. I took his hand in mine and gently rubbed it.

“[F/N] has liked you for longer than I think you know, sir,” Sasha explained, sitting up on her bed. “I thought she was crazy that night for risking waking you up just to make sure you were comfortable, but I can see that it goes a lot further than that.”

“When was this? When were you going to do that?” Levi asked, a slight glimmer of curiosity reflecting in his eyes. We both sat for a moment, thinking. 

“It wasn’t too long before you moved out of your room, [F/N], in fact it was the last time we snuck out together,” Sasha pondered.

“I remember I didn’t get to sleep until super late that night. I overslept and you had knocked on my door to come wake me up,” I thought, sudden realization hitting me. “That was the night before we got together.”

Levi looked down, recalling the events that happened that day. His facial expression changed from surprise, to confusion, and to amazement before he looked up at me, meeting my [e/c] eyes. 

“You really are the person I’m meant to be with, aren’t you?” he whispered, low enough so only I could hear him.

“I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else,” I whispered back, blushing.

“Captain Levi! You are needed in the other barracks!” a soldier yelled from the entrance to the room. Levi groaned and stood up, stretching a little.

“I’ll be there in a moment,” he called, he turned to Sasha and nodded. “Cadet Braus.” He nodded at me. “[F/N], I’ll be back later.”

“Goodnight, Levi,” I mumbled as I watched him navigate his way through the maze of half-asleep cadets and exit the room.

~~~~

If there was such thing as sleeping that night, it had completely avoided me. I laid on the mattress for so long, studying the ceiling for hours. Levi had to serve the first part of the watch on the other barracks, so I was alone for the first time in over a month. Naturally, I couldn’t sleep. Of course, the belts of my harness being on over my pajamas did not help anything. The room was warm from so many sleeping bodies being in an enclosed area for so long. I had on a tank top and a pair of pajama pants, but I was wishing I would have worn a pair of shorts due to being so warm. 

I turned onto my side and watched Sasha’s slumbering face for a short while. Her mouth was open and she was drooling all over her pillow. She would occasionally make a satisfied noise and lick her lips. She must have been dreaming about food again. I watched her satisfied expressions for a while longer until she rolled onto her other side. 

Sighing in defeat, I sat up and looked around the room. Nanaba had been stationed as watch for the room, along with Mike. Nanaba was leaning against the doorway with her head down. Her figure was slumped slightly and I could see her head bob up and down occasionally. She must’ve fallen asleep at her post. Mike was sitting on a chair in the corner of the room with his arms crossed and his head leaning against the wall. He was on the brink of unconsciousness when he noticed I had sat up. I met his gray eyes across the room and he nodded slightly before beginning to lose consciousness again. I felt bad for them, knowing they were losing sleep and that this change of events had everyone out of whack. 

Studying the room more, I noticed an empty mattress. I looked a little further before alerting Mike and noticed that Krista had climbed into bed with Ymir. I saw her small figure curled up against Ymir, who had wrapped an arm protectively around her. I smiled a little bit to myself, wondering how long they had been sleeping in the same bed together. Despite however long they had been sleeping together, the sight was absolutely adorable. 

I noticed Eren would mumble a profanity every now and then and throw a punch into the air. He must have been dreaming about fighting Titans by the way he would move his arms. Mikasa had pressed her mattress right up against Eren’s and was reaching out to grab his arm every time he would punch the air. She was covered by her scarf, but I could see her relaxed facial expression through a fold in the scarf. I found it funny that even in her sleep, she was still determined to protect Eren. 

After examining the room and seeing nothing was wrong, I laid down on my stomach and propped my head and arms up on my pillow, watching the torch flames flicker in the hallway. I had finally started to lose consciousness when Levi’s tired figure appeared in the doorway. He placed a hand on Nanaba’s shoulder, which scared her half to death, and gave her a short nod, signaling that it was a shift change. He entered the room and woke up Mike, who attempted to hit him out of pure instinct. After Mike apologized quietly, he left the room when a yawning Hanji and Erwin entered. 

Levi turned and maneuvered through the maze of sleeping cadets to my mattress. He pulled his shirt off through his harnesses and folded it neatly, placing it on the corner of my mattress. I turned on my side to make room for him on the small surface as he took his boots off. He crawled under the covers and pulled me into his arms. I pressed my lips to his, tenderly. He pulled me closer to him as we kissed, despite knowing Erwin was watching us from the corner of the room. 

The kiss didn’t last long since we were both exhausted. Levi pulled away and looked at me with his beyond tired, gray eyes. His eyes were half-closed. I could tell he was fighting his exhaustion for the moment. I gently placed my hand on his cheek and saw his lips curl into a small smile. He rested his head next to mine on the pillow and closed his eyes. He was asleep within seconds. I closed my eyes and snuggled into his arms, despite how warm the room was. His soft snores soon filled the area surrounding us as I drifted into unconsciousness with him.


	20. Chapter 20

The time couldn’t have been even 5:30 AM. I was peacefully asleep, curled into Levi’s bare chest as he held onto me tightly. Erwin had barely managed to stay awake in his chair for the remainder of his shift. He had a candle next to his feet and he had moved the chair to a position next to a wall torch. His head was bobbing up and down as he fought sleep, unsuccessfully. Hanji had slumped down against the doorframe and was mumbling about Titans in her sleep. The entire room was filled with a blanket of peaceful slumber, probably the last many of us would see for a while. 

“Commander Erwin! Commander Erwin!” a disgruntled soldier yelled, running into the room, waking the majority of its occupants up. 

Hanji snored and shot straight up into the air, yelling “Titans!” 

“What is it?” Erwin sleepily asked, barely opening his eyes. 

“Cadet Braun has escaped and taken the two soldiers that were on watch with him!” the soldier exclaimed, nervously running his hands through his hair.

“Alert the other squad leaders. We need to move out as soon as possible,” Erwin commanded, his voice carrying across the room, causing more cadets to stir. “Hanji! Get your squad ready and roundup the cadets here. Levi and I will meet you outside the castle as soon as possible,” he ordered, standing up and running out the door. 

Levi had tensed his grip on me while he listened to Erwin’s orders. He gently shook my half-asleep figure to make sure I was awake. 

“Levi?” I questioned, yawning. 

“I’m sorry, but duty calls,” he answered, gently kissing my forehead, and running out the door with his shirt in hand.

I lazily rolled onto my stomach, pouting slightly, still not fully comprehending the situation. I heard a few groans as more cadets woke up. A few were asking where Levi came from since he wasn’t in the room when they fell asleep. A few had sat up and were rubbing their eyes. Sasha had rolled off her mattress on the cold stone floor and woke up from the sudden impact. I watched Eren freak out once he realized Mikasa had moved halfway onto his mattress in her sleep. 

“Alrighty people! Wake up! You need to gear up and be prepared on your horses as soon as possible!” Hanji yelled, her voice echoing through the room. “That means no breakfast! Now move it!”

Several cadets, Sasha included, groaned as they sat up, still trying to fully comprehend why they were getting yelled at so early. I stood up and took a quick glance around the room. Everyone was awake at this point, most were stretching and helping each other up. I was the only one with part of their uniform already on, but I knew I couldn’t start in my pajamas. 

I ran out of the room, dancing around the disheveled mattresses, and up the staircase right outside the entrance. I was thankful that we were stationed underneath the squad leaders’ quarters and that I didn’t have far to go to make it into Levi’s room. Knowing he wasn’t there, I burst through the door of his office and ran into his bedroom closet. Hastily unbuckling the lower half of my harness, I ripped off my pajama pants and yanked on the first pair of my pants I saw. I undid the buckle on the top half of my harness and pulled a shirt on over my tank top. 

Quickly tightening each buckle, I stepped into my boots and pulled my cloak on over my body as I glanced around the room, making sure there wasn’t anything I was forgetting. I saw the sparkle of light bouncing off my ring, which I had left on my nightstand, underneath the rising sunlight coming through a nearby window. I wished I could wear it, but it would cause too many questions. Levi and I had agreed to wait until this operation was over to announce our engagement and get married. 

I ran out the door and through the hallways. Only a few cadets were still in their rooms getting dressed. As I exited the castle, I saw most cadets rounding up their horses. Hanji’s squad were already mounted and ready to go, waiting for further instruction at the meeting point just outside the castle grounds. I gently pulled my horse out of the stables and mounted it, riding it to the meeting point.

Erwin, Levi, and Mike were already in position, facing the group that was present, waiting on the rest of the cadets to fall into formation. The plan was for them to ride with the main group as far as they could until needing to split off for their part of the operation. From there, the rest of us would stop at a group of trees near the entrance and tie our horses up so we could complete the rest of the journey on foot. 

It wasn’t long until everyone fell into place and were waiting for the starting command. I could see a few were nervous. I couldn’t blame them. This was a huge risk being taken for the hope of humanity. If this failed, it could be extremely detrimental to our chances of ever reclaiming Wall Maria and the fate of humanity. I tried not to think about the consequences too much. I needed to focus on making sure this plan succeeded no matter what. 

“Listen up everyone!” Erwin called, his voice carrying across the open area. “The second you get to the entrance of the wall, you split into your formation. Keep all eyes ahead of you and wait for the signal to move forward. Communication is key here to make sure we all know what’s going on, so pay attention!”

“That means you, Springer and Kirschtein,” Levi barked, causing everyone to turn and look at them. They were talking quietly to each other and hadn’t noticed everyone looking at them until Sasha punched Connie’s arm.

“Wait for [F/N]’s signal to go into battle. That means you give your full trust in her call,” Erwin continued, giving a slight nod in my direction. I could feel all eyes boring into me. I knew that I was in charge of the decisions that could cost each of them their lives.

“We will make this another victory for humanity!” He shouted, raising his fist in the air. Many of the soldiers shouted in agreeance with him and we took off. 

After a short while, Levi rode back to be next to me. He saw my distressed look and knew I was beginning to question my ability to make the right call. 

“Quit overthinking it. Get out of that head of yours and just act. Don’t think. Whatever choice you make, trust that you will make the right choice. Make that choice with no regrets,” he calmly spoke, looking into my eyes. I nodded, knowing he was right, but he could still sense my doubt. “Everyone here trusts in you, even Erwin, so that means you should trust in their abilities.”

I looked at him with genuine gratitude for his words. He knew exactly what I was feeling and knew exactly what to say to clear my mind. I smiled and reached out to hold his hand, despite knowing everyone behind us would see. In that moment, I didn’t care. In that moment, it was just the two of us and no one else. He grasped my hand in a firm, reassuring grip and I caught a smile hinting on his features. There was a small, round object in his hand. He turned my hand over and placed the object in my palm. I looked at it and looked back at him, in disbelief. He had grabbed the ring off my nightstand and brought it out here for me.

“I want you to wear it. I want you to know that our hearts will always be connected, even when we’re on the battlefield. This is a symbol of our love and proof that no matter what happens, we will always make it through together,” he lowly spoke, leaning in close to me. I nodded and quickly slipped the ring on my finger. He shot a quick smile my way before turning and riding toward Hanji.

He leaned close to her and muttered something in her ear. I tried to listen to what he was saying, but couldn’t make out any words. Hanji paused and looked back at me, meeting my gaze. Levi grabbed her hair and made her face him. He whispered something to her and gave her a questioning look. Without hesitation, Hanji quickly nodded her head. Levi made a gesture of thanks, and rode back up to his designated position in the formation. 

~~~~

Wall Sina came into view quickly and Levi’s group split off. He stole a glance over his shoulder at me as I watched him ride away. I wondered what he had asked Hanji, but didn’t have much time to really think about it as our destination was approaching. Hanji and I had moved up to where Levi’s group was to better scout the area. 

Our group’s destination was only a few miles away and approaching quickly. It was a small cluster of five trees that were a few miles away from the wall. It was on top of a hill, so we could see the gate in well enough to know when Levi, Erwin, and Mike had entered the wall.

Once reaching the trees, a few of us took a moment to stretch out and adjust our equipment so it wasn’t noticeable. I stood at the top of the hill, watching the carriage Levi’s group was in enter the wall. I was still wondering what Levi had said to Hanji, but knew better than to ask. Hanji noticed me watching the carriage carefully and stood next to me.

“You know, [F/N], after this operation is over, you will be the first cadet to have came up with a plan for the Scout Regiment that actually worked. Erwin has probably mentioned this to you already, but he really wants you to join Levi’s squad and become a leader. It takes a lot to get Erwin to notice your abilities, but whatever you’ve done, besides sleeping with Shorty, you did a good job,” she stated, placing a hand on my shoulder. I turned my head and met her gaze. She had a smile smeared across her face, but it wasn’t her usual crazy scientist look. It was a look that said she was proud. 

“Thank you, Hanji. I think that actually helped me feel a little better about potentially leading everyone to their deaths,” I responded, nervously. She laughed.

“Don’t say that! Erwin wouldn’t have accepted this plan if he didn’t believe it wouldn’t end in disaster!” she chuckled, giving my shoulder a hard slap. 

“You’re right, Hanji. You are definitely right about that,” I smiled, rubbing my shoulder. I turned and faced the group.

“Alright people! It is very crucial you all pay attention and wait for my signal! Please tell me you all remember our signs!” I spoke loudly so everyone would hear me.

“Yes!” they responded.

“Good! It appears the traffic in and out of the gate is very busy today, so that should give us a good cover. I will signal to split up when Hanji’s squad and I get completely inside the gate with the supply carts! Once we are there, find the fastest way onto a nearby roof WITHOUT being seen! Hide behind a chimney or window, but still be where you can all see someone in front of you! DO NOT leave formation until we go into battle!” I continued, meeting eye contact with every individual. 

“You also may want to cover your ears when you see the lightning from Reiner’s transformation. The weapons we are using are very loud,” Hanji added. “We really don’t need any of our soldiers losing their hearing.”

I stepped in front of Eren and looked into his emerald green eyes. “Eren, you have to promise me that you will control your anger. You owe it to us and especially Mikasa, Armin, and even Levi, who keep saving your ass when you do lose control. Can I trust that you will trust me on this? I know you have had trouble with deciding whether or not to fight in the past, but I need your full trust now. After this, you can go back to however you feel about it,” I bargained, holding my hand out. I could see him pondering it. Mikasa’s dark gray eyes were boring into me and Armin was watching Eren carefully, observing his body language.

“I will give it my all,” he finally answered, gripping my hand firmly.

I smiled and turned back to the rest of the group. “Then this is it! Let’s move out!"


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you would like music recommendations for this, I recommend Divine Beast Vah Ruta's battle theme from Breath of the Wild. I know I've recommended this at least twice, but it really fits this chapter since it's storming and a super intense battle is beginning. Click here for that --> youtu.be/9G6088FtGsI
> 
> If you don't want Breath of the Wild music, maybe try the Levias and Bilocyte Battle themes from Skyward Sword: youtu.be/mFYf5c1Dfp8 and youtu.be/17_lqZQFLsg Their probably the closest music I could find portraying the mood I want to set for this chapter.

Our disguise proved to be working well. With the size of our supply carts, we looked like normal merchants just trying to make a delivery. 

As soon as I saw the sunlight cover the cart as we finished crossing through the gate, I gave the signal to split up. I watched as Jean, Sasha, and Connie split off and headed toward their designated location, followed by Ymir and Krista. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin headed toward their place in the formation, with Mikasa walking faster than the others. I smirked to myself as I watched Eren realize Mikasa was moving significantly faster, and ran up to her side. I faced forward, chuckling softly to myself at Eren’s behavior, and saw Hanji and I’s destination a few steps away. 

Further up ahead, I could see the carriage Levi was in came to a stop. I watched Erwin carefully step out of the carriage as Hanji and I split off into the alleyways to set up our weapons. I hoisted the cart up into a leaning position and turned it so I could easily position it when the time came. I took a deep breath and continued up onto the rooftop that I would be hiding on.

Once up to my position, I took a quick glance around to make sure everyone was more or less in position. The light around the district had faded since a storm of clouds rolled in, hinting at rain. I saw Hanji had crouched down and was giggling with excitement about seeing another Titan shifter just to my left. Looking farther back, Eren’s trio had settled into place. I could see Eren’s angered expression, but knew that he wouldn’t act on it just yet. Slightly past Eren, I saw Jean and Connie whisper-yelling across a small alleyway at each other while Ymir and Krista were quietly talking to each other. It looked like they were having a serious conversation, but I figured Ymir was probably just telling Krista not to get herself killed. Sasha was looking down at the streets with a small amount of drool hanging from her mouth. She must’ve spotted a food stand, otherwise, she would have been completely focused. Feeling satisfied enough with how everyone looked, I sent the signal for everyone being in place. 

I sat for a moment, scanning the area for any sign of Reiner. I knew he would probably be in disguise since he had escaped from headquarters so early. Levi and Mike had already exited the carriage and were standing just behind Erwin as he argued with the Military Police. Mike was sniffing the area, looking for any clues of Reiner’s location. I saw the person Erwin was talking to snap his head in Levi’s direction and I smiled, realizing Levi had probably made a snarky comment at him. 

After a few minutes of Erwin pleading with the guard, they finally allowed them entrance. As they were making their way toward the doorway, Mike flinched and quickly turned to his left as if trying to locate a threat. I looked in the direction Mike was and saw a large, bulky, hooded figure working its way through the busy crowd. I sent the signal for Reiner’s appearance as I watched Mike turn around and make eye contact with my hidden figure. 

Everyone quickly pulled out the supply carts from their positions, just enough to where they would reach Reiner and capture him when fired. I hid in the shadows as I watched Mike quickly alert Erwin, which alarmed the Military Police and they pointed their guns at them. 

I quickly glanced back at Eren and made eye contact with him, making sure he was watching me carefully. Drops of rain had started to fall, making it harder to see him, but we made eye contact and he gave me a small nod saying he was ready. I returned the gesture quickly to him and glanced at the back to check the others. The rest of soldiers were hiding amongst the shadows, quietly. Hanji’s excitement had grown even more as I heard her giggling from my location. I heard one of her squad members tell her to try to pull it together but to no success.

Reiner’s hooded form had blended well into the crowd but was forced to step out of concealment as he neared the dungeon entrance. He spotted Levi, Mike, and Erwin, and quickly began to run toward them as I watched him pull a knife out and raise his hand. They noticed and quickly grabbed the group of officers that were threatening them, and ran off to where their gear was located. I sent Eren the signal as soon as I watched Reiner move the knife to his palm and slice.

There were several loud booms of thunder that echoed throughout the area. The rain drastically picked up, pouring down around us, making the situation trickier. I watched a flash of lightning completely engulf Reiner as his figure grew larger and bulkier. I felt a gust of air behind me as Eren began his transformation. Within a matter of seconds, Reiner and Eren had completed their transformations.

I raised my hand and yelled at the top of my lungs, “Fire!” 

Quickly covering my ears, several rods loaded with explosives launched their way into Reiner’s armored body, knocking several plates of armor off, including the one at the nape of his neck. Eren’s Titan form ran past my location at Reiner, bellowing, and tackled him. 

Reiner broke free of Eren’s hold, throwing him backward into a building. He grabbed the ropes attached to him and yanked on them, releasing their hold. Eren quickly recovered and ran at Reiner, full speed, delivering a blow to the head, only for Eren to be punched hard enough to lose the top part of his head. With Eren out of the equation for a short period of time, I sent the signal to fight, only for another unexpected bolt of lightning to cause all of us to turn to the back of the formation.

*meanwhile in the back of the formation*

[F/N] had just sent the signal for Eren to transform. It had also begun to pour, but from Sasha’s experience in her village, she sensed it wouldn’t be a very long storm, just harsh. She watched as Eren jumped off of the roof, biting his hand so hard that blood gushed all around his head as lightning engulfed him. There was another bolt of lightning that came from the front of the formation, but Sasha assumed that it was Reiner. As soon as the lightning ended, [F/N] raised her hand and yelled to fire.

Everyone in the formation covered their ears as they watched the explosives launch and embed themselves within Reiner’s intimidating form, thunder boomed across the entire area. Sasha quickly glanced around, as she watched Mikasa and Armin move forward in the formation, following behind Eren as he took off toward Reiner’s now vulnerable frame. 

Sasha, Connie, Jean, Ymir, and Krista were the only ones left in their area as they quickly met up on a nearby rooftop. They watched the fight ensue and waited for [F/N]’s next signal. They saw Eren’s form launch backward twice before [F/N] sent the signal to fight. 

The storm boomed with thunder as the rain pelted down, drenching their cloaks. Ymir’s eyes widened as everyone drew their swords and launched forward. Sasha looked ahead and saw Levi’s group join [F/N] and Hanji on the wet ground. They were soaking by now from the rain to the point of water dripping from their hair and clothes.

Sasha quickly noticed that only her, Jean, and Connie were moving forward and when she turned back she saw Ymir and Krista on a rooftop. Ymir was holding Krista’s shoulders calmly and saying something of importance to her. It was hard to hear what she said due to the intensity of the rain. Krista’s eyes widened as Ymir walked away, pulling one of her swords out of its sheath. Ymir spoke her last words to Krista, loud enough that Sasha could hear her through the rain.

“Live your life with pride.”

Ymir jumped off the roof and sliced through her hand as another bolt of lightning appeared, surrounding her body.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song link: youtu.be/RSAoJJzVXYY
> 
> I do not own "Sleep" by My Chemical Romance.

_//Sleep by My Chemical Romance begins//_

Levi’s group had joined Hanji’s squad and I, mere seconds after I sent the signal to fight. We were all soaking wet, due to the massive amounts of rain pouring down. Mike and Erwin were getting caught up on what just happened when another flash of lightning appeared behind us. Levi instinctively stepped in front of me to see what had happened, but I already knew just by the look Erwin gave me. My suspicion was correct. Ymir is a Titan shifter. 

_// “Like last night, they are not tremors, they are worse than tremors. They are these terrors...//_

Sasha’s group had just landed on a nearby, slippery rooftop as Ymir’s Titan form completely transformed. A few of the soldiers looked frantically at me, then at Erwin, and gripped their swords tightly as if preparing to battle. Levi tensed and prepared to take off after Ymir in an attempt to cut her out and arrest her. Sensing what he was planning, I grabbed his wrist and his confused silver glare met my cautious [e/c] stare. I shook my head ‘no’ and he yanked his wrist out of my grip, looking frustrated. 

_//And it’s like, it feels as if somebody was gripping my throat and squeezing and…”//_

“What is your call, [F/N]?” Erwin asked, stepping between Levi and me. 

_//Some say now suffer all the children and walk away a savior//_

“We wait for a minute and see what happens. We don’t know which side Ymir is on, so it would be rather reckless and pointless to cut her out if she’s on our side and is attacking Reiner,” I answered, giving Levi a harsh look. The storm clouds thundered, with lightning illuminating the sky. 

_//Or a madman and polluted from gutter institutions//_

“So in the meantime, Sasha’s group,” I began, getting everyone’s attention, “Go assist Armin and Mikasa. If you see shit hit the fan, you can fight, but only if you absolutely have to.”

_//Don’t you breathe for me, undeserving of your sympathy//_

Turning to Hanji’s squad, “Surround Reiner and keep him in this area. Try to cut through his leg tendons so he can’t move. Be fast. We really don’t need to lose anyone, nor can we afford to, like we did with Annie.”

_//Cause there ain’t no way that I’m sorry for what I did//_

Facing Erwin, Mike, and Levi, “Guard Ymir. If she does engage Reiner, try to keep her from taking too much damage until Eren regenerates. If, and only if, Ymir does not go after Reiner, then you can cut her out.” They all agreed and split off to their new locations. 

_//And through it all, how could you cry for me?//_

I maneuvered my way back to Krista’s location, rain pelting me hard as I went against the wind. She was in shock, tears gently falling down her already wet face, as she looked up at me in horror. I kneeled down next to her and gave her a calm look. 

_//Cause I don’t feel bad about it//_

“I need you to tell me what happened. What did Ymir say and did you know about this all along?” I gently spoke, resting my hand on her shoulder. 

_//So shut your eyes, kiss me goodnight, and sleep//_

She sniffed and wiped her eyes. A cold and hollow expression flooded across her face as the storm thundered again. 

_//Just sleep//_

“She said to live my life with pride. I didn’t know she was a Titan shifter, she’s just always been there for me and protected me. I can’t believe she kept such a big secret hidden so well all this time,” Krista mumbled, her eyes filling with fear again. “She thinks she’s going to die doing this.”

_//The hardest part is letting go of your dreams//_

“The only way she’s going to die is if she isn’t protected, so let’s get up and go help her,” I reassured, holding my hand out to her. 

_//A drink for the horror that I’m in, for the good guys and the bad guys//_

She accepted my gesture as I pulled her up to her feet, sliding a little bit from the slippery surface of the roof, and we took off toward the rest of the group. I told her to go assist Sasha’s group as I split off toward Hanji’s location. 

_//For the monsters that I’ve been, three cheers for tyranny//_

Hanji was located on a rooftop, off to the side of the battle, watching the battle ensue and studying each Titan closely. She had an amused look plastered all over her face as her glasses fogged from the cold rain. 

_//Cause there ain’t no way I’m coming back again//_

As I landed next to her, I watched Reiner pause his thrashing against Hanji’s squad as he saw Ymir’s Titan charging directly at him. They quickly fled the area as they cut through Reiner’s ankles, making him fall over. From a distance, I could see Eren was almost completely healed and the cadets surrounding him took off to cover more area. 

_//And through it all, how could you cry for me//_

To my horror, Erwin and Mike stopped following Ymir and branched off to each side of the area. Levi quickly climbed Reiner’s body as he sat there, almost as if he was horrified by something, and steaming profusely in an attempt to heal quickly. Levi latched onto the building structure behind Reiner while Ymir closed the small distance left between them. 

_//Cause I don’t feel bad about it//_

Erwin landed next to Hanji and gave her a mutual look of understanding. They each moved to my sides as I watched Levi climb Reiner’s body. In the split second I saw him twist his right sword around, I knew exactly what he was planning. He was going to end this once and for all. 

_//So shut your eyes, kiss me goodnight//_

Before I could even react, Erwin and Hanji had gripped my arms harshly and pulled me away from the edge of the roof. I struggled against their strong embrace as I watched Levi launch himself into the air to gain momentum. 

_//And sleep. Just sleep//_

“You assholes knew about this! He planned this behind my back knowing all well he could be killed doing this!” I yelled furiously, trying to break free. “Damn cocky bastard! Humanity’s strongest asshole!” Erwin and Hanji’s grip on me tightened as I yelled, hard enough that it would probably leave bruises on my arms, but that was the least of my worries at the moment. 

_//The hardest part’s the awful things I’ve seen//_

Reiner snapped out of his horror as Levi spiraled down toward the nape of his neck, gaining intense momentum. Within a matter of seconds, Reiner had moved his arm to block Levi’s attack, causing Levi to dig his blades into the side of Reiner’s arm rather than his neck. That didn’t stop Reiner from attacking him though.

_//instrumental//_

Reiner lifted his arm in an attempt to grab Levi as Ymir took the opening to attack Reiner. Levi dodged, but only just barely. I watched Levi stumble and land on top of Reiner’s arm as his ankle bent in an abnormal direction, causing him to slow down for only a second. A second he couldn’t afford to miss.

_// “Sometimes I see flames and sometimes I see the people that I love dying and it’s always…”//_

Not letting Ymir’s attack distract him from Levi, Reiner knocked Ymir down fast enough so he could swing his open hand at Levi in an attempt to eliminate him from the equation. Levi had slowed down only by a hair, due to the pain in his leg, but continued to move with speed. He tried to get away from Reiner so he could regroup, but he was too late. Reiner caught Levi in the momentum from his large hand and threw him to the side of the battlefield like a ragdoll.

_//Just sleep, just sleep, just sleep, just sleep, just sleep, just sleep//_

In that moment, I watched every memory I had with him flash before my eyes. Him sleeping at a table in the kitchen, him getting mad when I would mouth off to him, the combat class the night we got together, the soft and gentle look he gave me every time he told me he loved me. Every fond memory of waking up in his arms and knowing I was safe by his side, flashing right before as my eyes flooded with tears and my voice cracked from my screams. It was like I was watching a nightmare I couldn’t ever wake up from.

_//instrumental//_

“LEVI!”

_// “And I can’t… I can’t ever wake up.”//_


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language and mild gore warning. I don't own the song, that belongs to ThunderScott and the lovely people that he collaborated with to produce it. Song link: https://youtu.be/elp1pTOpBd4

//Falling Back: Darangen Metal Cover by ThunderScott begins//

“LEVI! No!” I sobbed, pulling against Erwin and Hanji as hard as I could trying to break free. Erwin had mostly taken over, holding me with his strong, muscular arms. Hanji was saying something in an attempt to calm me down, but I didn’t hear a word she was saying. Lightening illuminated the darkened sky, followed by a loud boom of thunder. The storm had reached its peak.

Levi was still, laying on the roof he was thrown into. He had managed to break his fall, but with his injured leg. 

I kicked Erwin’s shins and elbowed Hanji’s gut, breaking free of their hold. Before they could grab me again, I had already leaped off the roof and was halfway to Levi’s location. 

_//Looking back on the trials that we’ve faced//_

Tears blurred my vision as I kneeled next to him. His breathing was labored and his eyes were closed. As I kneeled down next to him, his steel gray eyes opened and his head turned to me, meeting my teary eyed look. He gave me a pained smirk and reached out to place his hand on my lap, in an attempt to comfort me.

_//On a thread weaving through time and space//_

“I’m touched that you would cry this much about me, even though it’s not that time of month,” his blunt tone echoing against the rain, “I knew you would be against it if I told you that I would be potentially risking myself, so I asked Erwin and Hanji to take care of you when I did. Oddly enough, I don’t feel that bad at all. You would be able to take care of yourself if something happened to me.”

_//I relied on your strength to get through//_

I felt myself flare up with anger at his words. My sad look turned into a deep glare. I slapped him as hard as I could, leaving a red, hand-shaped mark on his face as the tips of his wet hair flipped in a perfect circle around his head.

_//Will I ever find a way to come back to you?//_

“You short bastard! Don’t ever do that to me again! I thought you were going to die! I saw every memory of us flash before my eyes only for you to make a shitty period joke and say I could take care of myself if you died?!” I scolded, yelling loudly at him. 

_//This urgency has taken me and now it is a part of me//_

He scoffed, looking deeply into my glare. “Did you really think I throw myself into death’s hands if I promised we would be together forever? [F/N], you are my forever,” he gently spoke, lacing his fingers with mine. He stretched his jaw and rubbed the side of his face. “I keep forgetting that you are the only person that can beat my ass.”

_//I’m falling back to where I used to be//_

“You’re damn right I can and when I’m done with you, you’re going to wish the only thing I’ve done is knock some fucking sense into you!” I sneered, standing up. “You are going to plant your ass in this spot and you better not move a damn muscle until I’m done or else I will fucking murder you, Levi Ackerman.” My vision had became tinged in a dark shade of red as I jumped off the roof and propelled toward the fight, leaving a very surprised Levi behind. 

_//We didn’t choose what we went through and now I feel it may be true//_

As I neared the fight, I noticed every soldier had taken the initiative to attack Reiner. Eren had been injured again and Ymir was also injured. I wasn’t sure how much damage was done, I just knew that Reiner was weak and that I was going to kill him, no matter the consequence. 

_//I’m falling back, yeah falling back to you//_

Moving faster than I ever have, I flew up Reiner’s sides, slicing every uncovered inch of his body. Blood squirted from his wounds as I cut deeply into his exposed muscles. Any non-injured soldiers that were still attacking, stopped, watching me unleash my fury on Reiner’s defenseless body.

_//I can see you blind as I may be, across the desert far beyond my reach//_

“You son of a bitch,” I growled as I continued slicing into his muscles, his blood coating me like a blanket. I didn’t care about how dirty I was getting. I didn’t care that I was probably destroying my clothes. I just knew that I wanted him dead. His limbs were falling down as I lashed out at him.

_//I wish that I could learn to change the past, I’d meet you there at last for one more day//_

“You couldn’t just accept your fate like everyone else. You had to go and toy with the one thing that matters most to me. I was going to try to look past your asshole accusations about my miscarriage. I even considered forgiving you for acting like I couldn’t hold my own in a fight, but you know what,” I paused, flinging myself high above his now immobile body. 

_//This urgency has taken me and now it is a part of me//_

“I am a little shit. I’m the little shit that’s going to ruin your life,” I screamed as I launched down toward the nape of his neck, burying my swords in it as deeply as I could. 

_//I’m falling back to where I used to be//_

The rain began to ease up as Reiner let out a pained roar, filling the entire area, as I neared the end of my cut. Steam emitted from his body, burning my clothes. As the nape fell off, I quickly changed out my swords and landed right next to his exposed body. 

_//We didn’t choose what we went through and now I feel it may be true//_

“I hope you like having your arms and legs cut off. I’ll make sure you never grow them back, you bastard,” I snarled, submerging my swords completely through his arms and slicing clockwise through his legs. I disposed of my dulled swords and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, yanking him free of his Titan body. 

_//I’m falling back, yeah falling back to you, I’m falling back to where I used to be//_

He had passed out, due to the immensity of his battle and now because of his body’s pain and blood loss. I latched onto the structure behind me, with my arm wrapped around his body, and projected myself around the decaying form of the Armored Titan. 

_//instrumental//_

The rain had ceased and the sun peeked out between the clouds as I landed in front of the lifeless form of the Armored Titan and threw Reiner forcefully on the ground, resting my foot on his chest, digging into him with my heel. 

_//This urgency has taken me and now it is a part of me//_

I had unsheathed my last set of swords and raised them, preparing to deliver the final blow that would end Reiner’s life, when I felt a large pair of hands grab me and pull me off of him. I dropped the swords as I watched Hanji kneel over him, examining his body closely. 

_//I’m falling back to where I used to be//_

“[F/N], you’ve done more than enough for now. Calm down,” Erwin’s calm voice muttered in my ear. 

_//This urgency has taken me and now it is a part of me//_

“That bastard is the reason so many people are dead! That bastard is the reason my parents are dead and he was almost the reason why I would have lost another important soul in my life! I won’t ever forgive his sorry ass!” I fought, kicking against Erwin’s large figure as he wrapped his arms around me and picked me up off the ground. 

_//I’m falling back to where I used to be//_

Hanji’s squad had formed a circle around us, staring at Reiner’s limbless body. His breathing had increased as his chest rose and fell quickly and sharply. Hanji took his pulse and confirmed it had also increased greatly. His body was steaming as it repaired itself.

_//We didn’t choose what we went through and now I feel it may be true//_

From the corners of my blurred vision, I could see Mikasa and Armin extracting Eren from his Titan form as Krista and Jean cut Ymir out of hers. Levi had carefully maneuvered his way off the rooftop he was on and limped his way over to the scene. The remaining amount of the soldiers had joined the area and were watching Hanji do her examination intently. 

_//I’m falling back, yeah falling back to you//_

“[F/N], you need to calm yourself. Remember that it is because of you, humanity has won another battle. Today is a victory and it’s because of a smart and brave cadet like you,” Erwin’s calm tone whispered in my ear again as I stopped resisting him. “But right now, we need to keep Reiner alive to learn about him and Bertholdt’s plans against humanity.” 

_//This urgency has taken me and now it is a part of me//_

Levi had limped into the circle and didn’t even look at Reiner. His eyes met mine as I was overcome with emotion. He gave me a soft, loving look, one that he never gives me in front of others, and stopped in front of mine and Erwin’s figures. 

_//I’m falling back to where I used to be//_

“Even after one of the toughest battles we’ve been through, that ring is still shining brightly on your finger and you are still the woman I love,” he gently spoke, reaching up and caressing my cheek. 

_//We didn’t choose what we went through and now I feel it may be true//_

I felt tears begin to uncontrollably stream down my face as Erwin released me. I fell into Levi’s arms, burying my face in his chest as he stroked my hair, whispering how much he loved me into my ear. Everything began to fade into a blur as I allowed myself to relax into Levi’s loving embrace and pass out from the level of exhaustion that had overcome my body. 

_//I’m falling back, yeah falling back to you//_

“Everything will be okay, as long as we are together.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS: I would prefer that you listen to the Lost Woods theme from Breath of the Wild (youtu.be/mu3ht2x8odA) for the italicized part because I feel it captures the emotions and aesthetic I wanted to portray the best, but I understand not wanting music spoilers... so here's the Palace of Twilight theme from Twilight Princess instead. (youtu.be/mu3ht2x8odA) For the non-italics part in the middle, I recommend the Hyrule Castle Outside theme from BotW (youtu.be/mu3ht2x8odA) which is my preference, but you could try the Demise Phase 1 Battle from Skyward Sword (youtu.be/mu3ht2x8odA).

The world around me faded to pitch black as I felt my body go limp. I could barely feel Levi’s strong, protective hold on me as he supported my weight and his. I could hear the steadiness of his heartbeat around me like a cloud as I fought the looming stupor that threatened to take over my body.

_I found myself surrounded by a labyrinth of trees without my gear as I opened my eyes. There was a dense fog coating the area like a heavy blanket. Levi’s heartbeat had faded, but I could still hear it in the distance accompanied by the whisper of distant voices. I couldn’t feel my body, yet I could still move my arms and legs around as I scanned the area for any means of a path or a way out of this nightmare._

_I spotted a flaming torch in the middle of a clearing a short distance away from me. I quietly made my way over to it, watching the fog change in density as I moved. As I neared the torch, I could hear Levi’s heartbeat grow slightly louder. I studied the flames for a moment, watching them blow in a single direction instead of blowing in multiple directions. Finding this odd, I looked just beyond the cleared area to see an unlit torch up ahead in the direction the flames had been pointing. I turned around to see a stick propped up against the base of the lit torch. Knowing what I had to do, I grabbed the stick and held it in the fire for a moment until the tip ignited in crackling flames and began to walk toward the next torch._

_As I moved, I heard the sound of a deep, familiar, authoritative voice begin to speak. It echoed from above the trees as if it were just on the outside of this forest._

_“Look at the Armored Titan’s body, Levi. She did the extensive amount of that damage all by herself,” the familiar voice spoke. “The only other person in this entire regiment that has created such an extensive amount of damage on a powerful Titan is you.”_

_I carefully listened to the voice, listening to its depth and praising tone. The way their sentence was structured told me that it could only be one person. Erwin._

_Realizing I was hearing Erwin’s voice, I ran to the other torch as quickly as I could and lit it. Levi’s heartbeat was growing louder as I heard a deep rumble throughout the trees, followed by his masculine voice._

_“I know, Erwin. It’s remarkable. Have Shitty Glasses study it or something while we focus on something more important like getting Reiner in custody and [F/N] some help. She’s out cold,” Levi’s voice of reason echoed throughout the trees._

_I paused, processing Levi’s words. “If I’m passed out, why am I in this crazy maze rather than just completely unconscious?” I wondered aloud. I stood still for a moment, thinking deeply about the situation. “I must be in a weird state between being conscious and unconscious.”_

_“Levi, I think you’re the one that needs help. You can’t even put weight on your left leg. We all watched you get hurt,” another familiar, deep voice spoke._

_“Tch. I’m fine. Worry about Reiner first, then we’ll get help,” Levi scolded. I felt the forest shake quickly like an abrupt earthquake, followed by his voice again. “Don’t sniff me! Sniff those damn cadets!”_

_“Mike, go help Hanji tie Reiner up. We’ll handle things from here,” Erwin’s voice echoed._

_The forest went quiet, all except for Levi’s heartbeat. I had managed to find the next torch in the maze as the men were talking and set it ablaze. The area seemed to be growing lighter as the fog lifted slightly and I continued to proceed with lighting each torch, along with Levi’s heartbeat growing nearer to me. I could hear Erwin giving clean up commands to various soldiers, including having them help line up their injured comrades by the makeshift infirmary Sasha and Jean had set up somewhere off to the side. I began to feel a tight force around my body, but I figured it must have been Levi’s arms around me._

_I looked around in search of the next torch nearby but to no such luck. I felt the wind change direction and the grip on my body tightened even more. Levi’s heartbeat picked up in pace, making me worry about his health as I was useless and stuck in the labyrinth of consciousness. Erwin’s voice had long since faded in the distance, talking about Ymir, so I assumed he was taking care of that situation. It still didn’t answer the change in Levi’s behavior though, and I wondered about it for a minute until I finally saw another unlit torch far off in the distance in the same direction the wind was going._

_As I made my way closer and closer to the torch, I noticed the trees were beginning to have more color and life. I knew I was getting closer to my escape when a new voice boomed across the land like a storm cloud._

_“Erwin Smith! Your actions are considered treason to the crown!” the angry voice thundered, followed by the sound of metal clanking, which resulted as lightning where I was._

_“Nile, is your head as hollow as the barrel of your gun or is your skull too thick to see the reality of what just happened?” Levi’s voice chastised._

_“Nile, everything is under control here. We have successfully captured one of the biggest threats to humanity. Tell that to the council. The Scouts have successfully captured both the Armored Titan and Colossal Titan in a matter of three days,” Erwin’s voice countered._

_“The fact that you’ve made the inside of Wall Sina your battleground again seems to me that you have something against royal authority,” Nile barked._

_I finally reached the torch and lit it, hearing the voices grow around me and more life appear within the forest. Levi’s heartbeat sounded like it was right next to me as I watched the flames crackle and pop on the wood of the torch. I had to be extremely close to the end of the forest by now. There were so many colors around me now, the fog had mostly lifted, I could feel the intensity of Levi’s grip and almost clearly hear his heartbeat as if I had my head pressed against his chest._

_“There’s a reasonable explanation behind it and oddly enough no one was killed this time. There are only injuries of my soldiers and minimal damage done to the city. We can take care of this, Nile,” Erwin reasoned._

_“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” Levi chided._

_I smirked at Levi’s statement as I looked around more. I could see small animals hiding along a few of the trees as I surveyed the area. As I looked around, I noticed that the animals were only huddled in a certain group of trees rather than all around the area. I carefully walked over to the creatures and watched them run directly behind their former position, into the forest. I watched the path they took and saw a small light off in the background. My way out._

_“Aren’t you pleasant as ever, Levi?” Nile scorned. “Is it always your plan to bring Titans into the inner city, Erwin?”_

_I began to run toward the small light, watching the flame of my self-made torch dance as I moved quickly. I dodged small trees and tree roots as I gained momentum._

_“Actually, it wasn’t my plan this time. I had help from the intelligence of a prized Cadet of mine,” Erwin mused._

_The entirety of the area I was in spun to the side, knocking me off of my feet and onto my side. I could hear Levi bark Erwin’s name as I scrambled back up to my feet and continued to run through the forest. The light was getting bigger and brighter. I could hear more sounds coming from the outside and feel my own body and breathing completely again._

_“Oh? There’s more than one of you I need to arrest today?” Nile retorted, sounding surprised. “Does this have anything to do with the girl Levi is holding?”_

_I could tell Levi was getting irritated as I felt his chest rumble in a deep growl. I was just a few yards away from the light, which was just beyond a small plain of grass._

_“I’m almost there, Levi. Just a few more yards,” I spoke aloud, feeling my lips move in time with my words._

_“I won’t let you take her. She’s too important for you to take away from this regiment too,” Levi snarled. “She’s done nothing but help humanity. She hasn’t caused any unnecessary deaths of your people or ours. There is no need to arrest her.”_

_I entered the plain of grass and ran toward the light as fast as I could. The last words I heard of the conversation before jumping into the light were from Nile._

_“Are you sure it’s not because you’re in love with her, Levi?”_

I felt my eyelids flutter as the world around me disappeared and I came back to reality. I could feel Levi’s clothes and hear his heavy breathing. I felt his attempt to shift his weight but cursed in doing so from the amount of pain he was in. I blinked slowly, the sunlight making me furrow my brow, allowing myself to adjust to the scenery.

There were whispers amongst the soldiers, questioning Levi’s emotions and authority to make decisions. I could feel him begin to shake with pent up anger, but he wouldn’t let it show. Not to a potential enemy.

“Nile, you and I both know that Levi’s involvement with the girl has nothing to do with this,” Erwin stated, his voice growing serious.

I opened my eyes to see Military Police soldiers surrounding us with their rifles ready to fire at any given moment. Levi’s arms were wrapped tightly around my torso and my head was pressed against his chest. I could see Erwin standing at the end of a rifle pointed directly at his chest. The man at the end of the rifle was a few inches shorter than Erwin and had a dark undercut. His features were adorned with facial hair and a few wrinkles. I assumed he was Nile, based off of the way he stood and the bolo tie around his neck.

“You shitty bastard!” I croaked, loudly, startling everyone around me, including Levi. “You can’t seem to accept that the Survey Corps is better at finding traitors within the walls than you are, can you?” My voice cracked again, making me cough.

“[F/N], control yourself. We don’t know how injured you are. You need to calm down until we can make sure you’re okay,” Levi muttered in my ear.

I knew he was right, but I didn’t care at the moment. I knew the Military Police were always trying to find a way to sabotage any plans the Survey Corps came up with that involved being within the Walls.

“You just want me to sit here and not do anything about it because I might be injured, meanwhile, Erwin is dealing with some asshole that’s got his head shoved so far up the King’s ass that he can’t see anything clearly around him anymore? Not to mention he’s targeting you and me now? Doesn’t sound like a very good decision to me,” I whispered back to Levi, moving my head so I could look into his eyes. They were clouded with annoyance and pain and I knew he really just wanted to get out of here and get off his leg, but we weren’t quite in the situation for that at the moment.

“It’s an order, [F/N],” he harshly stated, watching my eyes narrow into a deep glare.

“Since when have you known me to just sit and watch someone drag my name through the dirt?” I retorted, meeting Levi’s frustrated look.

“I said it’s an order, [F/N],” he gritted in response. “That means no backtalk, _Cadet_.”

Erwin intervened before I could respond. “That’s enough from _both_ of you,” he commanded, asserting his authority. I continued to glare at Levi as he met my furious look with one that demanded his dominance. If he thought I wasn’t already mad enough at his stunt earlier, this definitely pushed me there. “As for you, Nile,” he continued, turning back to Nile’s angered look, “Take this to the higher ups again, but the results will have the same verdict as they did with Annie Leonhardt. We will be dismissed for capturing the two people behind the fall of Wall Maria. Doesn’t that have any form of meaning to you? Because of this capture, you don’t have to worry about Titans breaching the inner walls. Because of this capture, you won’t have to worry nearly as much about Marie’s safety as you do now.” He raised a thick eyebrow at Nile while a semi-pleading look adorned his tired features.

A shocked look spread across Nile’s face for a moment while he pondered Erwin’s reasoning. His eyes showed various emotions, hinting that Erwin’s words really struck home for him. He remained quiet for a few moments as his soldiers looked at him with surprise, waiting for an order, while he took everything in. His eyes searched the area, lingering on the skeleton that once was the Armored Titan. He looked to the other side of the area where Mike and Hanji had tied up Reiner and were waiting for the orders to escort him underground before he woke up. He turned his gaze upon Levi and I after a moment, while we still glared at each other despite the fact that I was still in Levi’s arms and Levi was still standing on his injured leg. Sensing his stare, Levi and I both shifted our eyes to look at him. Much to our dismay, he began to chuckle.

Nile’s laugh took the majority of the crowd off guard, including his soldiers who lowered their guns to look at him worriedly. I could see Erwin’s bewilderment at the sudden change of emotion Nile showed as he took a step back in confusion. Nile lowered his rifle from Erwin’s chest and wiped his eyes gently.

“In all my years, I have never seen a couple so in synchronization together enough have the same exact glare written across their faces. Let alone, I have never seen a person, let alone a woman, match Levi in power and dominance,” he explained, collecting himself from his sudden outburst. “I suppose you truly have met your match then, Levi. If the rumor of your engagement is true, then I have no doubt you will live many years together,” he continued, earning a few surprised gasps from the soldiers behind us at the mention of our engagement. He redirected his attention to Erwin. “As for your situation, I’m just taking orders, but I can see that you’ve actually achieved something for the greater good this time without completely wrecking the city. I’ll be sure to give my report to the higher ups and I expect to see you eventually for your report as well, Erwin.” He turned around, facing away from the crowd and bellowing to his men, “Lower your weapons and follow!”

The group of our soldiers stood for a moment, watching as Nile and his men walked away. Erwin turned to face us, his bafflement just as apparent on his face as the confused looks upon everyone else’s were. He quickly shook it off, however, as he began to give orders for moving out. He sent Hanji’s squad away with Reiner to get him underground. Mike was to stay with Krista and Ymir, while the others were to follow him off to the side to get medical attention.

Levi stood for a moment, unsure of how to move both of us over to the small area lined with injured soldiers. I sensed his uncertainty quickly, responding with, “You know, if you let go of me, I can probably help you over there. It would be a lot better than you risking the possibility of deepening your injury.”

He nodded and carefully released his embrace on me, allowing me to stand by myself for a moment and regain my balance. I took his right arm and wrapped it around my shoulders as he hunched over to lean his weight on me. I began to walk slowly, allowing Levi to shuffle alongside me while grunting in pain. The makeshift infirmary wasn't very far away, but with Levi’s condition, it would take a few extra minutes just to get there.

“Are you sure you're okay, [F/N]? I can semi-walk over there if you need me to,” Levi offered at the halfway point.

I remained silent for a while until we were closer. I turned my head and looked straight into his gray eyes with a deadly look.

“Oh, I'll be fine, but when I'm done with you, you'll wish the only thing that happened was injuring your leg,” I answered, lowering my tone so only he could hear me as I sat him down on the edge of a wagon. His eyes had slightly widened and showed a small glimpse of 'oh shit' as I turned and walked away from him, leaving him by himself as his eyes followed my every move.


End file.
